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THE ROMANCE OF A 
MEDICI WARRIOR 



Other Works by the Same Author 



CHARLES DE BOURBON, HIGH CONSTABLE 
OF FRANCE. 

COURTS AND CAMPS OF THE ITALIAN 

RENAISSANCE. 

LIFE OF LOUIS XL OF FRANCE. 

LIFE OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS MARGUERITE 
OF AUSTRIA. 

A QUEEN OF QUEENS AND THE MAKING 
OF SPAIN. 

DANTE THE WAYFARER. 

THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES OF THE 
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE. 

FELICITA, A ROMANCE OF OLD SIENA. 
ETC., ETC. 










/s„ 



w//i//e 






THE ROMANCE OF 
A MEDICI WARRIOR 

BEING THE TRUE STORY OF GIOVANNI 
DELLE BANDE NERE, TO WHICH 
IS ADDED THE LIFE OF HIS SON, 
COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 

*A STUDY IN HEREDITY 

BY 

CHRISTOPHER HARE 



With Photogravure Frontispiece and 
Sixteen other Illustrations 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 
1910 



JIG 5+1 

• AM* 



PRINTED BY 

HAZELL, WATSON AND VINET, LD. 

LONDON AND AYLESBURY, 

ENGLAND. 



Br exchange 
Army & Navy Olub 

JUN 2 2 1840 



GIOVANNI, THE MEDICI WARRIOR 

" La guerre est ma patrie. 

Mon harnois est ma maison, 
Et en toute saison 
Combattre c'est ma vie." 



CONTENTS 

PART I 

PROLOGUE 

PAGE 

Concerning Caterina Sforza, the Madonna of Forli ... 15 

CHAPTER I 

The coming of Caterina Sforza to Florence, July 1501, after 
her captivity in Rome — Caterina meets her son, the child 
Giovanni . 26 

CHAPTER II 

Caterina Sforza in Florence — Her strife with Lorenzo dei Medici 
for the possession of her boy Giovanni — He is hidden in a 
convent — Death of Lorenzo — Peaceful days for Caterina 
before her end 38 

CHAPTER III 

The home of Giovanni in the mountain castle of Trebbio — His 
passion for hunting — A turbulent youth in Florence and 
Rome — The return of the Medici to power in Florence — 
Cardinal dei Medici becomes Pope as Leo X. . .49 

CHAPTER IV 

The death of Giuliano dei Medici — Leo X. summons Giovanni to 
Rome — His first taste of real war — Marriage of Giovanni 
dei Medici with Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati — Giovanni 
wins fame in the war against Urbino 64 

7 



8 CONTENTS 



CHAPTER V 

PAQB 

Evil news for Maria — In defence of one of his men, Giovanni 
has defied the Lord Camillo d'Appiano and slain two of 
his servants — Giovanni escapes to Castello and thence to 
Ferrara — Sentence of banishment from Florence for five 
years is passed upon him 79 

CHAPTER VI 

Leo X. finds warlike employment for Giovanni — Birth of his son 
Cosimo — Great satisfaction of the Medici Pope — Giovanni 
in high favour at Rome — Letters of Maria to him — She makes 
sad complaint— His splendid training of his famous bands . 92 

CHAPTER VII 

Family life in the mountain Castle of Trebbio — Giovanni most 
successful in guerilla warfare — He distinguishes himself 
greatly in the war of Urbino — His exploits — Death of Pope 
Leo X. — Giovanni takes service with the French king . .107 

CHAPTER VIII 

Letter from Maria — Time of peace, in which Giovanni looks 
after his estates — Pope Adrian VI. — Giovanni at Aulla in 
the Lunigiano — An unwelcome neighbour — The Medici Pope 
Clement "VTI. elected — Maria seeks his favour for her hus- 
band and son — Giovanni returns to the imperial and Papal 
side in the following war 122 

CHAPTER IX 

Maria Salviati at Rome — She and Cosimo in high favour with 
Clement VII. — Giovanni greatly distinguishes himself 
against the French, who retreat over the Alps — Peace is 
fatal to the Black Bands and to their condottieri— Pietro 
Aretino joins Giovanni — Francois I. invades Italy . .137 

CHAPTER X 

With the Pope's consent, Giovanni passes over to the French 
— Siege of Pavia — The reckless and marvellous valour of 
Giovanni in his skirmishes — Giovanni is wounded — He is 
sent to Piacenza to be cared for — Letter of Cardinal Salviati 
to Maria — Francois I. defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia 153 



CONTENTS 9 

CHAPTER XI 

PAGE 

Trouble with the Malespini — Giovanni takes to the life of a 
corsair at Fano, on the Adriatic — When war begins, he 
enters the service of France and the Pope — His marvellous 
exploits at the siege of Milan 170 

CHAPTER XII 

Coming of Frundsberg and the landsknechte — Giovanni checks 
their crossing the Po — He is wounded — Carried to Mantua 
through the snow — Tragic story of his fortitude — Death 
of Giovanni dei Medici (delle Bande Nere) — His monuments 
and his fame 183 



PART II 

A few words of introduction to Cosimo his son .... 203 

CHAPTER XIII 

Concerning Maria Salviati, the widow of Giovanni delle Bande 
Nere, and Cosimo his son — After Giovanni's death — Cosimo 
sent to Venice for safety, with his tutor Riccio — The child's 
education — Maria shows her gratitude to her husband's 
friends — Revolution in Florence against the Medici . . 206 

CHAPTER XIV 

Anecdote of Cosimo's childhood — His mother, Maria Salviati, 
joins him at Venice — Sack of Rome, 1527 — A catastrophe 
for all the Medici — Plague at Florence — Maria and Cosimo 
at the Trebbio — Their narrow escape and flight — Charles V. 
crowned Emperor at Bologna, 1530 217 

CHAPTER XV 

Alessandro dei Medici becomes Duke of Florence — Cosimo and 
his mother return home — Maria Salviati accompanies 
Caterina dei Medici to France for her marriage — Murder 
of Duke Alessandro by his cousin Lorenzino, 1537 — 
Cosimo's diplomacy — He is elected to succeed Duke Ales- 
sandro as Lord of Florence 229 



10 CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XVI 



tkQM 



Cosimo defeats the exiles from Florence (the Party of Freedom, 
with Filippo Strozzi at their head) at the battle of Monte- 
murlo, in July 1537 — The patriots are brought prisoners 
to Florence and put to death — Cosimo marries Eleonora de 
Toledo— Sad fate of Filippo Strozzi 248 



CHAPTER XVII 

i 

The Turkish corsairs attack the coast of the Mediterranean — 
Cosimo meets the Emperor at Genoa — Takes part in defence 
of the shores of Tuscany — Dispute for precedence between 
the Dukes of Florence and Ferrara — Cosimo at last obtains 
command of his citadels from the Emperor — Birth of Fran- 
cesco, the Duke's eldest son — Quarrels with Pope Paul IV. 
— Death of Maria Salviati — Her son's ingratitude . . 264 



CHAPTER XVIII 

The story of Siena at this period — The people rise in arms against 
the Governor appointed by the Emperor, 1543 — They are 
free for five years — Mendoza sent to rule the city — His cruel 
treatment — Builds a citadel — Another rebellion, in which 
the French take part — Siena besieged by the Emperor and 
Florence — Heroic defence, for fifteen months, in which the 
ladies take part — City yielded to Cosimo in 1559 — He 
becomes Duke of the whole of Tuscany . . . .281 



CHAPTER XIX 

Dispute between the Emperor and Pope Paul IV. — Great floods 
in Florence — Cosimo sends his eldest son, Francesco, to 
do homage to the Emperor at Genoa — Abdication of Charles 
V. — His son Philip II. is Kingof Spain ; his brother Ferdinand 
becomes Emperor — Death of Cosimo's eldest daughter 
Maria — His third daughter Lucrezia marries Alfonso, heir 
of Ferrara— Election of Pope Pius IV., 1569 — Cosimo founds 
the Order of Knights of San Btefano to defend the coast of 
Tuscany against the Turks 291 



CONTENTS 11 



CHAPTER XX 

PAGE 

Duke Cosimo builds bridges, fortresses, etc. — The Palazzo Veccbio 
had been embellished for him ; then he rebuilds the Pitti 
Palace for his abode — Patronage of art — Benvenuto 
Cellini and others — Domestic troubles — Tragic death of his 
two sons, Cardinal Giovanni and Garzia — The Duchess 
Eleonora dies of grief — Strange rumours — His daughter 
Isabella marries a Roman noble, the Duke of Bracciano . 305 



CHAPTER XXI 

Marriage of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son, to the Arch- 
duchess Joanna, daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand — 
Story of Bianca Capello — Cosimo takes his son into a share 
of the government — Election of Pope Pius V. ; fierce 
inquisitor — Pietro Carnesecchi, a Florentine, impeached 
for heresy, betrayed by his friend Duke Cosimo, who is 
rewarded by the Pope with the title of Grand-Duke of 
Tuscany — Death of Cosimo I., 1574 — His character . .317 

Epilogue—" A Study of Heredity " 330 

Genealogies. Table I. The earlier Medici, showing Giovanni's 
connection with Lorenzo, the Magnificent, with the Popes 
Leo X. and Clement VII., Maria Salviati, Duke Alessandro, 
Lorenzino, etc 333 

Table II. Cosimo L, his family and connection .... 334 

Index 335 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Giovanni delle Bande Nebe. Titian : Uffizi, Florence 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Caterina Sforza. Vasari : Palazzo Vecchio, Flor- 
ence 33 

Pope Leo X. and Cardinals. Raphael : Pitti Gallery, 

Florence 51 

Catherine dei Medici. School of Vasari: Palazzo 

Vecchio, Florence 69 

Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici. Titian: Florence . 87 

Charles V., Emperor. Titian: Prado, Madrid . . 105 

Maria Salviati, Wife of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. 

Vasari: Palazzo Vecchio, Florence . . . 123 

Pope Clement VII. and Fran 901s I. of France. Vasari : 

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence 141 

Bust of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. San Gallo: 

Bargello, Florence 159 

Fllippo Strozzi. Titian: Vienna 177 

Cosmo I. dei Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Bron- 

zino : Florence 195 

Eleonora de Toledo, Wife of Cosimo. Bronzino : 

Wallace Collection 213 

13 



14 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Garzia dei Medici, Son of Cosimo I. Allori : Prado, 

Madrid 231 

Maria dei Medici, Daughter of Cosimo I. Bronzino : 

Florence 249 

The Perseus. Cellini: Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence . 267 

Pope Paul III. Titian: Turin 285 

Bianca Capello, Wife of Grand Duke Francesco, Son 

of Cosimo I. Bronzlno : Florence .... 303 



THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI 
WARRIOR 

PART I 
PROLOGUE 

Concerning Caterina Sforza, the Madonna of Forli 

Of the warrior women whom Italy delights to honour, 
one stands forth supreme above all others : Caterina 
Sforza, known to fame as the great Madonna of 
Forli. She was the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo 
Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan ; was born in 1462, and 
brought up with tender affection by his mother, 
Bianca Visconti, until she was eight years old, when, 
on the marriage of Galeazzo with Bona of Savoy, 
she, like a dutiful wife of those days, received the 
child of his mistress Lucrezia into her home as one 
of her own family. 

During five years Caterina lived in luxury, and 
received the elaborate education of the eldest princess 
of her house, until the first tragedy of her eventful 
life took place : the murder of her father at the 
porch of San Stefano, as he was about to hear High 
Mass on Christmas day, while the anthem rang out : 
" Sic transit gloria mundi." 

Before his death, Galeazzo had arranged a marriage 
for his favourite daughter with Girolamo Riario, 
the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Caterina was barely 

15 



16 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

fifteen when, after a magnificent wedding, she rode 
in state across Italy to her new home, the splendid 
palace of the Corsini on the banks of the Tiber, at 
Rome. She was a beautiful girl, full of spirit and 
energy, and she soon became so high in favour with 
the Pope that she was looked upon as the very 
fountain of honour, and petitions for place and power 
had to pass through her hands. During her life 
in the Papal city, four children were born to the 
Countess Riario, the eldest a daughter named Bianca, 
while the others were boys, Ottaviano the heir being 
born in 1479. 

Two years later, in 1481, the city and domain of 
Forli in Romagna, between the Adriatic and the 
Apennines, was bestowed upon Girolamo by the 
Pope, who loaded him with honours and wealth. 
When the Count and Countess set forth to their 
new possession, we are told that for a whole week 
long trains of laden mules might have been seen 
passing out of Rome, guarded by men-at-arms, 
bearing immense treasure of costly stuffs, tapestries, 
jewels, gold and silver plate, and untold riches, over 
the rough mountain bridle-paths and on by the 
Via Emilia to Forli. 

In this brief sketeh we cannot follow the wars in 
which Riario as Generalissimo of the Pope took part, 
and the crafty diplomacy by which he obtained 
Ravenna, Cervia, Imola, and all the country round. 
When Pope Sixtus died, Caterina was on a visit to 
Rome, and in the tumult and disorder which followed, 
she showed her fearless temper and masterly craft 
by at once taking possession of the Castello St. 
Angelo and, from that stronghold, making terms for 
her husband with the jealous cardinals. She thus 



CATEKINA SFORZA 17 

obtained for him a large sum of money and a safe- 
conduct for himself and his family to Forli. Girolamo 
now devoted himself to beautifying the old cathedral 
and to strengthening the fortress of Ravaldino, the 
strong castello which commanded the whole of 
the city. For this purpose he had to raise heavy 
taxes, which caused growing discontent amongst the 
people, and when he lightened their burden, he could 
no longer satisfy his greedy courtiers nor pay his 
mercenary soldiers. 

In the spring of 1487, Girolamo was dangerously 
ill at Imola, about sixteen miles to the north-east 
of Forli, and his wife was nursing him when there 
came news, one night, that the seneschal of the 
palace at Forli had murdered the castellan and 
seized Fort Ravaldino. Caterina instantly ordered 
her horse, by desperate riding reached Forli at mid- 
night with a small escort straggling after her, and 
demanded from the seneschal an account of his 
conduct. Codronchi, in dismay, parleyed awhile, 
but admitted her into the fortress with one attendant 
at daybreak. There is no record of what took 
place within those grim walls, but the undaunted 
princess came forth in safety, appointed a trusty 
friend, Tommaso Feo, as castellan of the citadel, 
and rode back to Imola with the rebel seneschal. 
" And the next morning, two hours after sunrise, 
the Lady Caterina gave birth to a son/' says the 
chronicler. 

This amazing adventure gives us some idea of 
the gallant spirit and courage of the Countess of 
Forli. These were shown with still more striking 
force, in the terrible tragedy which took place a few 
months later, 

2 



18 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

One April day of the year 1488, Caterina was resting 
in the secluded quiet of her private chamber in the 
palace of Forli, when of a sudden there rose a muffled 
clamour in the distance, and the sound grew until she 
could distinguish the sound of many voices and 
tramping feet. Then came a violent knocking at her 
door, which was flung open and a young knight in 
hunting costume broke in abruptly. He stood there 
a moment gasping for breath and staring at her with 
wild eyes, and she recognised him as a special favourite 
of her husband. 

" Speak your message, man ; I am ready ! " cried 
the Countess, whose instinct warned her of some 
fearful disaster. 

Andreas Ricci threw himself at her feet. 

" Madonna, I beseech you, flee at once ! " he gasped. 
" The Count Girolamo is basely murdered . . . cast 
headlong from an upper chamber into the piazza as I 
rode by . . . The people rise in tumult . . . Beware 
the Or si ; they are at my heels. . . /' 

" No ; flight is impossible ! There are my helpless 
children. But listen, Andreas. The citadel is ours 
and the castellan is faithful ! 3i she added, with 
a ring of battle in her voice. " Go thither this 
instant and bid Tommaso Feo hold out to the last 
extremity, and never yield the Fort of Ravaldino, 
though I myself implore him on my knees to do so ! 
Command that he straightway send couriers to Benti- 
voglio, Lord of Bologna, and to my Uncle Lodovico at 
Milan/' 

" Madonna, let me save you first ! 3i pleaded 
Andreas. " I will bar the door and sell my life 
dearly to keep back the traitors while you escape/ ' 

" This is madness ! " she cried. " Our only hope 



CONSPIRACY IN FORLI 19 

is in Feo ; his guns command the city, and while 
he holds out, none will dare to touch us. Go, I 
command," and she stamped her foot, pointing to 
the door with an imperious gesture. 

The young man had no choice but to obey, and 
Caterina hastened in search of her children. Her 
face was white and drawn, but there was a dauntless 
flash in her eye. This was the hour for action ; 
there would be a lifetime for tears hereafter. Already 
the alarm had spread and she met fugitives of the 
household, who slunk away shamefaced at the sight 
of their mistress ; but she wasted no reproaches on 
the cowardly crew, and had barely joined her children 
before armed men dashed in upon them. The Lady 
of Forli faced them with cool courage, erect and 
stately, a splendid figure of avenging fate. This was 
the moment which Lorenzo Orsi, the chief conspirator, 
had dreaded, for his followers shrank before that 
imperious glance which ere now had quelled the rage 
of a rebellious mob. Caterina was quick to seize 
her opportunity, and with strong, fearless words she 
accused the conspirators of their crime and called 
down the vengeance of Heaven upon them. 

" Did you think to find a weak, defenceless woman 
and children upon whom you might complete your 
murderous hate ? Beware ! for if you but touch 
one of us, my castellan will bombard your city until 
not one stone remains upon another." 

It was a tragic moment, the crisis of her fate, upon 
which hung the future of her house, but she passed 
through it in triumph. " Who is your leader ? " 
she asked, and her voice rang through the room with 
an accent of sharp, stinging disdain. She turned 
upon Lorenzo Orsi. " Take us to a place of security, 



20 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

and bear it well in mind that you will answer for us 
with your own life." 

Sounds of a tramping multitude had ere now 
reached her ears ; she knew that the work of pillage 
and destruction had already begun in the palace, 
and that her appeal was not a moment too soon. 
The scowling Lorenzo consulted his brother Cecco, 
and for very shame they consented. They knew 
that by so doing they would have the whole Riario 
family in their power, and with one blow could 
destroy them on the morrow ; so they were taken in 
stealthy haste through the riotous streets to the 
Orsi Palace and securely locked up in the dungeon. 

Meanwhile the conspirators found the castellan 
resolute in his refusal to give up the keys of the 
citadel, that massive building, with its central keep 
and four round towers, which stood at the apex of the 
fan-shaped city, and commanded the whole of it. 
Lorenzo and Cecco Orsi began to be alarmed at their 
position, and, in a fit of panic, they rode off that 
night to Cesena, about twelve miles to the south, 
and there and then they offered the city and territory 
of Forli to the Holy See, in the person of Cardinal 
Savelli. 

The good man was much perturbed in mind, but 
he dared not refuse so rich a gift and " thus cause 
loss to the Pope." An escort was hurriedly collected, 
the bishop's nag was saddled, and he reluctantly 
left his comfortable home to amble back to Forli 
in the dark hours of the night with the Orsi brothers, 
nothing doubting that he was thus doing good ser- 
vice to his spiritual lord. 

The next day he hastened to call upon the deposed 
Countess, and was startled by her strong language. 



GALLANT DEFENCE OF THE CITADEL 21 

He found that she had not the slightest intention of 
handing over her possessions to the Pope. 

" My noble husband having been treacherously 
murdered, our son Ottaviano is now Count of Forli, 
and as he is of tender years — scarcely nine — I am 
regent, and bear rule in his name. You have taken 
a perilous step, Monsignore, for if I know the Holy 
Father aright, he is a man of peace and friendly to 
our house : not one to have dealings with mur- 
derers." 

This was a home thrust, for the night had brought 
counsel, and the Cardinal was not without mis- 
givings of his own. But he had now gone too far 
to draw back, and when, later on, Pope Innocent's 
bull of acceptance being unduly delayed, the good 
man took upon himself to forge one — the end was 
very different from what he had expected. 

Meantime he did his best for the prisoners, and 
suggested that they should be taken from the power 
of the Orsi, their enemies, and placed for their better 
security in the gate-house above San Pietro, under 
the care of certain trustworthy citizens he himself 
would select. To this Caterina readily agreed, and 
that night the whole party was removed by torch- 
light to the gate-house chamber and there strongly 
guarded. But the Fort of Kavaldino still held out, 
with its guns pointed in defiant menace upon the city, 
and the conspirators compelled the Countess to send 
a written order to the castellan that he should resign 
the keys. When this failed, the Orsi were in desperate 
straits, and Caterina was conducted to the barred 
gate of the fortress that she might repeat her demand 
in person. Again Tommaso Feo, summoned to the 
ramparts, met every appeal with a curt refusal. 



22 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

There were muttered imprecations around her 
when Cardinal Savelli, with a vivid remembrance 
of her personal influence, proposed that the Countess 
should have a private interview with her contumacious 
servant, and insist upon his obedience. There was 
some demur at this, but at length the Orsi, in their 
extremity, gave consent, knowing that they held 
the Riario children as hostages ; but they made 
the stipulation that three hours should be the extreme 
limit of time allowed for the meeting. 

A time of breathless suspense followed. When at 
length the hour struck and the great bell of the 
cathedral rang to announce that the decisive moment 
had come, a tremendous shout of excitement uprose 
from the assembled crowd and half drowned the flare 
of trumpets. But there was no response from the 
citadel until the noise below grew to a tumult, and 
the trumpets blew louder and more furious blasts. 
Then Tommaso Feo slowly mounted behind the battle- 
ments and, as soon as he could make his voice heard, 
gravely assured the people of Forli that their sovereign 
lady, overcome by all the grief and horror of these 
last days, was taking some needful repose and he 
dared not disturb her slumber. 

At this astounding statement the rage of the 
conspirators was unbounded, and they threatened 
instant death to all the Riario family. Guards were 
sent in haste to fetch all the children of the Countess 
to the foot of the tower, while again the summons 
to surrender was repeated with the most bloodthirsty 
threats. This time a defiant reply was hurled down 
by Caterina herself ; she dared her foes to do their 
worst, for children might be more easily replaced 
than a citadel — yet should one hair of their heads be 



THE WARRIOR PRINCESS 23 

touched, a worse fate awaited the city of Forli than 
ever befell those of Sodom and Gomorrah ! 

She probably felt sure that the Cardinal could not 
permit the cold-blooded murder of helpless children ; 
and so it proved, for the desolate little company was 
taken safely back to the gate-house prison. 

After this events progressed rapidly. The couriers 
despatched to Bologna and Milan had sped well ; 
troops were soon on the way to put down the in- 
surgents ; the leaders of the conspiracy found their 
position hopeless, and were compelled to flee by 
night. The young prince Ottaviano was proclaimed 
Count of Forli, with his mother as Regent, and she 
ruled the land with the utmost vigour and ability 
until the evil days came upon her, and the boundless 
ambition of the Borgia Pope aimed at nothing less 
than dominion of all Italy. Caterina Sforza had to 
fight, as never woman fought before, for the very 
existence of her little state, hemmed in and threat- 
ened on every side. She fortified her citadels, she 
recruited her soldiers ; while ever on horseback, she 
directed the manoeuvres of her army and lived a 
warrior's life. 

As a relaxation from these arduous pursuits, 
Caterina was twice married — first to Jacomo Feo, 
and then to Giovanni dei Medici, son of Pietro Fran- 
cesco, nephew of Cosimo (II Vecchio) dei Medici.* 
The handsomest man of his day, this young prince 
had been chosen by Florence as ambassador to the 
Lady of Forli, and their choice was justified by the 
favour which he won. 

We remember those prophetic words of the daunt- 

* Cosimo il Vecchio was the grandfather of Lorenzo the Magnificent. 
See Table I. 



24 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

less woman when threatened with the murder of her 
sons — that she could replace them — and in due 
time she made good her defiant retort. On April 6 
1498, there was born to this famous " virago/' in 
the Citadel of Forli, a man-child who was to resemble 
her more than all her other sons, who was to be the 
true Sforza, the supreme heir of that valiant race 
of condottieri, filled with their lust of battle, their 
matchless audacity and courage — renowned to all 
ages as the great warrior, Giovanni delle Bande Nere. 

After the birth of this son, troubles thickened 
around the Sforza princess : first the loss of her 
young husband, the popular Medici, then the plague 
at Forli which decimated the city and threatened 
her child's life, and finally the long and terrible siege 
of her last refuge, the citadel, by that ravening wolf, 
Caesar Borgia, supported by all the might of the Papal 
army and the French troops of Louis XII. In vain 
did Caterina defend her castello with such heroic 
courage as to call forth the warm admiration of 
the very soldiers who fought against her and who 
" almost hoped she would win/' The struggle was 
hopeless from the first, yet the gallant Countess 
held out longer than her neighbours, the Malatesti, 
the Manfredi, and other lords of Romagna ; and not 
until the beginning of the year 1500 was she driven 
from her last defences, wounded as she fought like a 
lioness at bay, and compelled to own herself van- 
quished. 

Caterina was taken captive to Rome, cast into 
the prison of Saint Angelo, and treated by the Borgia 
Pope with shameful cruelty in the hope of breaking 
her proud spirit and perchance silencing her for ever 
in the oblivion of death. During sixteen months 



A CAPTIVE IN HOME 25 

the unfortunate lady endured unspeakable misery 
while her foes played with her as a cat with a mouse, 
until at length she owed her freedom to the chivalry 
of an unlooked-for friend. The French general, 
Yves d'Allegre, rode into Rome with only three 
companions to demand the release of the Countess 
of Forli, declaring, in the name of France, that " on 
n'emprisonne pas les dames." 

The French army was close by, at Viterbo, and 
Alexander VI. had no choice but to set his prisoners 
free ; and thus it was that on June 30, 1501, Caterina 
Sforza came forth from the grim dungeon of the 
Castel St. Angelo, with her few faithful followers, 
and rested awhile in the Riario Palace to renew her 
failing strength. 

Her children were all safe in Florentine territory, 
which was now her only safe refuge, and she longed 
above all things for the sight of her beloved youngest 
born, her Giovanni, who was at present in the power 
of his uncle Lorenzo dei Medici, and whom she had 
not seen for sixteen long, weary months. 



CHAPTER I 

The coming of Caterina Sforza to Florence, July 1501, after her 
captivity in Rome — Caterina meets her son, the child Giovanni. 

One golden afternoon of mid- July, in the year 1501, 
the people of Florence, ever hungering to see and 
hear some new thing, made their way in eager groups 
towards the ancient Porta Romana. News had spread 
far and wide through the City of the Lilies that a 
herald had but now arrived in haste, to claim from 
the Signoria a welcome for the Most Noble and 
Illustrious Princess Caterina Sforza, the great Madonna 
of Forli — a citizen of the Republic of Florence, being 
the widow of the Magnificent Giovanni dei Medici, 
the Populani, son of Pietro Francesco. . . . 

Well might the fame of the great Countess of 
Forli have preceded her, for all Europe was still 
ringing with the tragic story of her exploits and her 
misfortunes. She was the heroine of the hour, and 
the citizens were prepared to receive her with acclama- 
tion alike for her own sake as for the memory of her 
husband, their favourite Medici, the Populani. 

It was a long and tedious journey in those days 
from Rome to Florence, embarking at the mouth of 
the Tiber, following the coast-line to Livorno, and 
from thence more than sixty miles of riding through 
the hot plains of Tuscany. Yet although weak and 
exhausted with long suffering, Qaterina knew that 

26 



CATERINA COMES TO FLORENCE 27 

each moment of weariness, of faintness and oppres- 
sion, brought her nearer to her heart's desire, and her 
courage rose high once more as she beheld from afar 
the fair city of Florence, with her towers and grey 
battlements and stately campanile rising majestic 
through the dim haze of summer mist. 

A cry of excitement rose from the waiting crowd 
as a company of horsemen was at last seen approach- 
ing through a veil of quivering dust raised by the 
tramping hoofs. " See, she comes ! The Lady of 
our beloved Populani, the Countess of Forli ! " 

At the head of her faithful escort rode Caterina 
Sforza, pale and travel-worn yet proud and erect as 
ever, on her favourite white war horse, clad in a 
sweeping robe of black velvet with her face partly 
hidden by the flowing widow's veil. She was met 
at the entrance of the Porta Romana by the chief 
officers of the Signoria, preceded by the banner of 
the Republic, and she received their homage with 
stately courtesy. Soon the cavalcade was joined by 
various influential friends of Giovanni dei Medici, 
such as the Salviati and others, but the widowed 
lady's brow darkened as she noted the absence of 
her brother-in-law. She imperiously demanded the 
reason of this disrespect, and was told that the 
Magnificent Lorenzo dei Medici was about to meet her 
on her arrival at the Palazzo Scali, there to hold con- 
verse concerning her inheritance. 

This was to her a matter of supreme importance 
and, full of anxious thought, Caterina scarcely noticed 
the cries of enthusiasm or the deep murmur of interest 
and curiosity which greeted her as she rode slowly 
onwards, by the banks of the broad, shining Arno, 



28 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

glittering like silver in the sunlight, into the shadowed 
street of the Poi Santa Maria with its grim palaces 
on either side. Through the crowded Vachereccia 
passed the cavalcade, turned round the Piazza della 
Signoria, and skirted the frowning fortress of the 
Bargello. One thought, one hope now filled the heart 
of the warrior Countess ; she was about to see once 
more the child for whom she craved with such hungry 
longing, the boy Giovanni, dearer to her than all her 
elder sons, the tame Riario troop, who were safely 
bestowed in the mountain fastness of Trebbio. 

She had known bitter fear when news had reached 
her that Giovanni was to be placed under the guardian- 
ship of his Uncle Lorenzo, but of late the child had 
been in the care of Bianca Riario, the eldest-born and 
only daughter of Caterina, who for this purpose 
had been suffered to leave the convent where she 
had found shelter in those troublous times, while 
awaiting her marriage with Troile, Count of San 
Secondo. This gentle girl had watched over her 
precious little half-brother with loving care, in the 
Palazzo of Giuliano Scali, and had written constant 
letters to her mother to assure her of his well-being. 
Now the moment was at hand when she was to give 
a last proof of her devotion by delivering over the 
boy in safety. 

In the dim grandeur of a stately tapestried chamber, 
Bianca was anxiously awaiting the coming of her 
mother, to whom she looked up with adoring rever- 
ence not unmixed with awe. This girl, who had now 
reached the mature age of twenty-three, was strangely 
like Caterina Sforza, but we gather from her portraits 
that all the features were blurred and exaggerated, 



THE GUAKDIANS OF GIOVANNI 29 

while at the same time the face was made attractive 
by the expression, full of charm and sweetness. So 
at least thought the companion who shared her hour 
of anxious waiting, the old friend and confident of 
the family, Francesco Fortunati, Priest of Cascina 
near Pisa and Canon of San Lorenzo at Florence. 
This good man had been devoted to the service of 
Giovanni dei Medici, and had watched over his last 
hours at the Baths of San Pietro near Padua, in 
September 1498. Faithful to the vow made by his 
master's death-bed, Fortunati had thenceforth dedi- 
cated his life to the watchful care of the infant son — 
that firebrand who was to rouse and startle all Italy, 
and to outdo all the warlike deeds of his Sforza 
ancestors. 

But as yet all this was hidden in the dim future, 
although it needed no prophet to foretell that Gio- 
vanni was not cast in the same mould as other boys. 

As the priest rose from his carved cedar chair and 
stood in the full light of the high west window, his 
was a face and figure to command attention and 
respect in any society. Past middle age, with 
grizzled hair falling low on his broad forehead, his 
piercing blue eyes glowed with perennial youth, while 
his mobile countenance reflected every passing mood, 
now puckered with anxious thought and then, in a 
flash, beaming radiant with broad humour. He had 
been roused from his quiet talk by shouts of merry 
laughter from the secluded garden of the Palazzo, 
far below, and as he looked down through the open 
window, he cried out with eager delight : 

" Quick, my Lady Bianca ! Come and see our 
little Giovanni ! He has driven that good patient 
Anna with reins and whip through the myrtle bushes, 



30 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

and now nothing will serve but he must bridle the 
marble lions of the fountain and ride them one 
after the other, with sounding blows of his wooden 
sword ! If his lady mother could but see him now ! 7 

The young girl joined him with a slow, graceful 
sweep of her tall, slim figure, and looked on for a few 
moments in silence. Then a wistful smile crept over 
her face as she spoke in a low, troubled voice : 

" Then you think I have done right, my father, to 
leave him to his play until the last moment ? There 
is no holding him quiet within four walls, and if the 
boy were restless and angry, what might not happen 
when he meets his mother ? It is not possible that he 
can remember her after all these months, a child of 
little more than three years old. ^Tiat if he should 
strike her ? . . ." 

" Have no fear, my dear lady," interrupted 
Fortunati. " Our little Giovanni is the apple of her 
eye and can do no wrong. They will be fitly matched, 
the mother and son." 

" You are right there, my father," replied Bianca 
thoughtfully. " Madonna never cared for the other 
boys as she does for this little half-brother. I can see 
her now with the scorn in her eyes, as she drove Otta- 
viano from her presence when he had tamely suffered 
Messire Feo, his stepfather, to smite him on the 
face." 

" Upon my soul, she did well ! " exclaimed Fortu- 
nati, with his rich, quiet laugh. " They are not 
worthy of her, that smug Riario brood. They paid 
abject court to the Pope while he treated their 
illustrious mother with such cruelty, until I could 
not refrain from telling them that I hoped God 
would forgive their perfidy, as it seemed to me that 



CATEKINA MEETS HER DAUGHTER 31 

the devil had deprived them of all feeling and 
memory ! Truly they have their reward. What 
of Ottaviano, who has waxed so fat that Giovanna de 
Montefeltro refuses to give him her daughter in 
marriage ? He may well fawn upon his uncle the 
Cardinal to make him Bishop of Viterbo, and I hear 
that Caesar is to be Archbishop of Pisa. Our little 
prince yonder will not amble through life in such 
peaceful style as those precocious gluttons ! " 

" No, indeed," said his sister warmly. " In him 
his mother lives again, with all the warlike spirit of 
our ancestor, the Attendolo Sforza." 

" May I live to see him a great leader of men ! " 
cried the priest in his deep, vibrating voice. " May he 
seize the sword when it falls from the hand of the 
great Madonna, and avenge her wrongs ! . . " 

At that moment, a triumphal peal rang out from 
the campanile of the Piazza dei Pinti close at hand, 
and the eager listeners soon heard the tramp of hoofs 
on the cobble stones as the cavalcade drew near, then 
came to an abrupt halt outside the great gateway. 
Bianca Riario had risen to her feet and stood tremulous 
with expectation until the massive door was thrown 
open ; she looked up to see her mother, the most 
illustrious Countess of Forli, enter with slow steps, 
supported by her chancellor, who guided her to the 
inlaid chair of state placed ready in the centre of the 
chamber. She was followed by a splendid wolf- 
hound which, after a distrustful glance around, took 
up its position on guard at the feet of his mistress. 

It was a moment of painful revelation to poor 
Bianca, for she would scarcely have recognised that 
pale, thin face, haggard with fever and fasting, worn 
almost to a shadow with the terrible suffering of long 



32 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

sleepless nights in the Papal dungeon, with rage and 
anxiety and sorrow. The warrior Princess of Forli 
was changed into an old woman, yet that stirring, 
eventful life had been crowded into thirty-nine years 
as we measure time by the calendar. 

All these impressions had passed through the 
young girl's mind in a flash of insight, as she came 
forth with tender respect, to fall on her knees and 
kiss the hand of her mother who bent forward to 
clasp her in a warm embrace. 

" My good Bianca, tell me where is he ? When 
shall I see him ? " she asked in breathless haste. 

But before her daughter had time to reply the great 
door was again thrown open and " His Magnificence, 
the Lord Lorenzo dei Medici M was pompously an- 
nounced. Bianca shrank back timidly to the side of 
the watchful Fortunati, who had not yet had oppor- 
tunity for a word of greeting to his mistress. The 
newcomer was a man about middle height, imposing 
in his splendid doublet of green brocade with a 
jewelled collar, and a richly embroidered band from 
which hung his sword with enamelled silver hilt. 
His thin, pallid face, with the shifty eyes and pursed- 
up mouth, had none of the charm and beauty which 
had distinguished his brother the " Populani," 
although Caterina could not ignore a certain haunting 
family likeness. Lorenzo came forward with easy 
assurance, and a broad sweep of his plumed velvet 
" berretta," as with ostentatious humility he bent to 
make obeisance and lightly touch with his lips the 
hand of his undaunted sister-in-law. She drew 
herself up with proud dignity, and barely inclined 
her head in greeting, while the wolf-hound at her 
feet gave a low growl. 




Brogi. photo 



Vasari : Florence. 



CATERINA SFORZA, MADONNA OF FORLI. 



THE MEDICI INHERITANCE 35 

Quite undisturbed by this unpropitious reception, 
the head of the Medici waited for no invitation to be 
seated, but threw himself into a massive carved chair 
and began, in a somewhat aggressive manner : 

" Madonna Caterina, you have received due notice 
of my proposals, through the notary Leonardo Strozzi, 
with regard to the succession of my deeply mourned 
brother, Giovanni of sacred memory. But you are 
no doubt aware that large sums were advanced to 
him from our joint property, to the great detriment 
of his patrimony, and were spent by him in reckless 
extravagance at Forli, in princely gifts of silks, 
velvets, brocades, jewels. . . ." ' 

" All these expenses have no concern with you, 
Signor Lorenzo," interrupted the Countess im- 
periously. These generous gifts of my dear husband 
were paid for from his private purse, and must not be 
charged on the great commercial enterprises and 
funds which are in your care and of which the half 
belongs to my son Giovanni as heir to his father. 
But first of all I claim for myself, by special be- 
quest, the Villa of Castello, which from its situation 
and nearness to Florence is so well suited for my 
abode." 

" Madonna, it has ever been my desire to act both 
justly and generously towards you and my nephew ; 
but surely you know that, in our division, the Castle 
of Trebbio, the Palace at Florence, that of Castel del 
Bosco and the estates around are assigned to you, 
but no mention has been made of the Villa Castello, 
which remains in my possession. . . " 

" Do you think, my brother Lorenzo, that I will 
suffer my boy to be robbed of his birthright, as is 
the way of loving uncles ? " broke in the Countess of 

3 



36 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Forli, with fierce vehemence, and a battle royal was 
imminent when Fortunati came to the rescue. 

He had watched the contest with keen anxiety, as 

the suave, level tones of Lorenzo so dangerously 

excited the hot temper of his mistress, but as his 

imploring signs had no effect, he now came boldly 

forward, and with wonderful tact and discretion 

poured oil upon the troubled waters. He had just 

promised to meet on the morrow Leonardo Strozzi, 

the notary of his Magnificence, and to discuss fully 

all the questions in dispute, when a sudden deep 

growl from the wolf-hound distracted the attention 

of his listeners. The dog's threatening gaze was 

fixed upon the door, which opened at that moment 

to reveal a splendid little figure — a sturdy boy like 

a pictured St. John, with curly hair and dark glowing 

eyes. But before Caterina had risen with a cry to 

welcome her darling, a small terrier sprang from the 

child's arms and ran forward, yelping with the 

impertinence of a spoiled pet at the intruder, who 

with one spring seized the noisy cur in his great 

fangs. Quick as lightning, the boy fearlessly rushed 

forward in defence and caught the wolf-hound by the 

throat with his baby hands. 

Furiously the fierce animal shook off the stifling 
grasp and turned upon the child ; Bianca lost her 
presence of mind and screamed aloud, while Fortunati 
overcame his mortal dread and blindly stumbled 
across the great chamber, to find that the Countess 
herself, with a word and a blow, had mastered her 
dog and caught the struggling Giovanni in her strong 
arms. In vain he kicked her with all his might and 
fought out with his clenched fists, while the Magnifi- 
cent Lorenzo quietly watched the scene with cynical 



MOTHER AND SON 37 

amusement and the others looked on with trembling 
dread. But a few minutes later the indomitable 
Madonna had achieved another victory ; she had 
tamed the fiery spirit so nearly akin to her own, and 
the child of her passionate love sat happily on her 
knee and laughed up in her face. 

Breathless and triumphant, Caterina had become 
herself once more and, with her flushed cheeks and 
shining eyes, for the moment she had cast off the 
weight of her years and sorrows. The gentle Bianca 
turned aside to hide her tears of joy and relief that 
the dreaded meeting had ended so well, while even 
the sober and experienced Fortunati was aglow with 
silent admiration of his beloved lady, and was now 
relieved of his worst fear that an open rupture would 
take place between her and her grasping kinsman. 

In the joy of her satisfied love and pride, Caterina 
Sforza listened with unwonted patience to the smooth 
promises and courtly civility with which the astute 
Lorenzo took his leave. The scene which had passed 
before him, and the mother's amazing mastery of the 
boy's temper, had made a strong impression upon the 
uncle's calculating nature. 

" The lion-cub will need a strong hand," he 
muttered to himself, with the comfortable assurance 
that he himself would be the lion-tamer for both 
the mother and her son. 



CHAPTER II 

Caterina Sforza in Florence — Her strife with Lorenzo dei Medici 
for the possession of her boy Giovanni — He is hidden in a convent 
— Death of Lorenzo — Peaceful days for Caterina before her end. 

It was no bed of roses which Caterina Sforza, the 
widow of the Magnificent Giovanni dei Medici, found 
awaiting her in Florence, the city of her adoption. 
The temporary trace with her brother-in-law Lorenzo 
had not been of long duration, for she would yield 
none of her rights and fought stoutly for them. 
Above all, Caterina claimed the Villa of Castello, 
her favourite amongst all the Medici homes ; so 
conveniently near Florence, beautifully situated on 
the sheltered slope of a hill, secluded in the midst 
of lovely gardens such as Boccaccio loved to sing, and 
which as we know in later days called forth the 
enthusiasm of Montaigne and his companions. Weak- 
ened as she was in health, the balmy air in those 
groves of myrtle and arbutus, of oleanders and clam- 
bering roses, had an invincible attraction for her, 
until in a reckless hour, the undaunted warrior lady 
took forcible possession of the coveted villa, and was 
only driven thence by an armed force. 

This was unwise on her part, for Lorenzo, furious 
at her audacity, was driven to extreme measures, and 
asserted his legal right to the guardianship of lu*r 
precious Giovanni. The mother knew that if once 
the boy were in the hands of his uncle, the worst 

38 



GIOVANNI HIDDEN IN A CONVENT 39 

might be feared, for a Medici would shrink from no 
crime to achieve his ends. Once indeed the child was 
snatched from her by a stratagem, but she followed 
hot-foot on his tracks and regained him, in defiance 
of Lorenzo and his minions. But that episode had 
shaken all feeling of security, and although she still 
had faithful friends like Francesco Fortunati, Caterina 
had learnt that she was no longer supreme. Her 
daughter Bianca had left her to become the wife 
of the gallant young Troile dei Rossi, Count of San 
Secondo, and she could look for no help from her 
tame Riario sons. In so grave an emergency this 
princess of the Renaissance saved her little hero by 
a subterfuge copied from the antique. She may 
have remembered how Achilles once found safety 
amongst women, for she herself took the six-year old 
Giovanni, at dead of night, to the Annalena Convent 
in the Via Romana, opposite the gate of the Boboli 
Gardens. It was a bold stroke to leave her precious 
treasure to the care of the Dominican nuns, that he 
might dwell amongst them and be clothed in the 
dress of the order, like a novice of tender years ; but 
here, under the all-powerful protection of the Church, 
the young heir remained in safety during eight months. 
We may imagine that this enfant terrible, exube- 
rant with life and spirits, fearless and defiant, full 
of the most audacious mischief, must have given 
the sisterhood a very lively time. Still they were 
devoted to the strange little guest, and Giovanni 
never forgot their kindness, which secured them in 
after-years not only his favour, but that of the 
Grand Dukes his descendants. We may still see the 
remains of that ancient Hospice, founded in 1455 by 
Annalena the daughter of Galeotto Malatesta and his 



40 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

wife, Maria degli Orsini ; and we may pass under 
the stone doorway on whose moss-grown architrave 
is sculptured a bishop enthroned and two coats of 
arms with the inscription : " Hospitium Rodolpho 
Nobilis Famfflae." 

With gallant courage the Countess of Forli still 
struggled to hold her own, undaunted by the sea of 
troubles which surged upon her on every side. She 
was persecuted from afar by the Pope, worried by 
constant demands from her Riario sons, while she had 
the utmost difficulty in obtaining her nominal income 
from her estates without the closest supervision. 
But one day there came to her news which revived 
her old spirit, for Lorenzo dei Medici (son of Pier 
Francesco) was dead, leaving the vast possessions 
which he had accumulated with such grasping 
avarice to his incapable and weakly son Pietro 
Francesco. Caterina was not one to make a cringing 
show of lament over the death of her brother-in- 
law ; rather was hers the fierce Pagan exultation 
of one whose most dangerous foe had been removed 
from her path. 

She lost not a moment, but rode in haste to the 
Annalena Convent and carried off her Giovanni from 
the peaceful cloister where he had brought so rare 
a breath of life and adventure. He would be safe 
now, for the headship of the Medici family had fallen 
to one who was no match for the Sforza princess. 
Indeed she was soon firmly established in hex beloved 
Villa of Castello, amidst her flowers and fruit, her 
horses and dogs, her well-stocked farms, and a busy 
crowd of prosperous dependants. The warrior lady, 
who had once been a1 the head of an army and had 
fought like a condottiere in defence of her besi< 



THE EDUCATION OF THE BOY 41 

castle, now found an outlet for her restless energy in 
this patriarchal life, the wise management, and minute 
supervision of her estates. But her chief interest 
was to watch over the training of her boy, whom 
she would have made an accomplished scholar as 
well as a great captain. Caterina herself, like other 
high-born ladies of the Kenaissance, had received 
the best classical education of the day, and desired 
" to have Giovanni gifted with every talent, and to 
procure for him masters who would render him expert 
in every exercise suitable to his rank." But there 
were some things beyond the power of even the 
despotic Madonna. The child who had inherited her 
dauntless courage, her fierce, passionate adventurous 
nature, would have none of her learning, but fought 
his teachers and absolutely refused all scholastic 
instruction. He despised books ; he wanted horses 
to break in, rivers to swim across, something to hunt 
and kill, and the sheer lust of fighting drove him to 
constant battle with all the boys on the estate who 
would dare to face him. 

This young barbarian would obey no one but his 
mother ; he wore out his learned tutors, as later he 
was to wear out his cuirasses and his swords. We 
may form some idea of his indomitable nature when 
we learn that the devoted Fortunati, in despair of 
finding a man strong enough to tame this child of 
seven, actually conceived the scheme of persuading 
Michelangelo to take him in hand. We are not 
surprised that the great sculptor declined so onerous 
a task and preferred to carve the " David." 

Meantime Caterina Sforza was almost at the end 
of her strength, although her amazing vitality foretold 
a long and painful struggle with death. To the very 



42 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

last she kept Giovanni under her firm sway, and was 
the only living creature who could control his tur- 
bulent boyhood. She had spent her vigour with 
reckless prodigality, and the final scene was drawing 
nigh. In vain was all the skill of her Jewish physician, 
Messire Lazarus, and all the medical knowledge of 
her times, of which we find so curious an epitome in 
her famous Manuscript Book of Receipts for the cure 
of every mortal complaint and ill that flesh is heir to, 
from poisoning downwards. 

The Countess was ill at Castello in April 1509, 
but she insisted on moving to her palace on the 
Corso in Florence, where she took to her bed, never 
to rise again. Yet her undaunted spirit mastered 
the worn-out body, and she sent for Messire Pietro 
del Serra that she might dictate to him her will, 
in the presence of three witnesses. She would be 
buried without pomp or ceremony in the Convent 
of the Muratori of the Clarice Sisters of Santa 
Maria dei Reclusi, for whom she had a special 
affection. The nuns had sent her pomegranates and 
other fruits from their garden when she had seemed 
forsaken by all the world in her Borgia prison. As 
another token of her favour, she desired that her 
little grandchild, the illegitimate daughter of her 
eldest son Ottaviano, Bishop of Viterbo, should be 
educated in this convent, which stands at the end 
of the Via Ghibellina, behind Santa Croce. 

As a citizen of Florence, Caterina left rich legacies 
to the city charities, to Santa Maria degli Fiori, and 
to the Convents of Fiesole. But the main bulk of 
the Medici property came to her well-beloved bob 
Giovanni, as his father's heir. Until his eighteenth 
year he was to remain under the care of his guardians, 



DEATH OF CATEMNA SFOEZA 43 

" the Venerable Messire Francesco Fortunati, priest," 
and the " Spectabile Messire Jacopo son of Giovanni 
Salviati," one of the noblest, wealthiest, and most 
respected citizens of Florence. We find a Moorish 
slave named Mora Bona left as a special bequest to 
her youngest son. The Villa of Castel del Bosco is 
given to Galeazzo Riario, her third son, as she 
probably considered the two eldest well provided for 
by their fat benefices. 

Having thus settled all her worldly affairs and re- 
ceived the last rites of the Church, the brave woman 
calmly endured the long-drawn-out agony of a 
splendid physique, fighting inch by inch to the very 
last against death. The end came on May 28, 1509, 
when the solemn tolling of the bells of San Lorenzo, 
close by, gave notice to the world that the great 
Sforza princess, the Madonna of Forli, was passing 
away. She was only forty-six years of age, scarcely 
beyond middle life, but her attenuated frame, her 
drawn features, and snow-white hair, all bore witness 
to her exhausting life of ceaseless contest and strain, 
to be measured not by hours but by heart-throbs. 

To her devoted friend, the priest Francesco 
Fortunati, she had not only left the guardianship 
of the heir Giovanni who was to avenge her wrongs 
and carry on her dauntless course of unquenchable 
energy, but he was entrusted with the care of " all 
her books, writings, letters, and all other public and 
private papers, whatever they might be, which were in 
her possession." To the good canon's faithful fulfil- 
ment of his important trust, we are most deeply in- 
debted for the materials of her story. 

When the funeral was over, Fortunati's first in- 
stinct was to take his charge away to the simpler life 



44 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

at Castello, where he himself could carry out his 
literary legacy in the midst of Caterina's books and 
papers. The fame of this untamed boy of eleven had 
spread far and wide amongst the diplomatic Medici, 
and we find that from Rome itself, princes and cardinals 
took quite a paternal interest in this half-fledged 
warrior of their race. Giovanni was fortunate in 
the affection of his other guardian, Jacopo Salvia ti, 
whose wife Lucrezia, the daughter of the great 
Lorenzo dei Medici, loved him as her own son and 
sought to tame him with the society of her many 
children. Troubled by the thought of the mother- 
less boy at this crisis of his fate, the kind lady re- 
solved to cheer his loneliness at Castello, and to take 
her little daughter Maria, his favourite playfellow. 

So it came about that a few days later, when the 
young heir was wandering through the lovely gardens 
of the villa, in gloomy depression, he came across 
his friends riding up the great avenue of plane trees. 
With a bound of delight, he joined the ladies and 
conducted them with eager welcome to the sunny 
rose-clad portico. 

" You must come to look at the new mare/' cried 
the boy ; "she is a perfect beauty ; and it was the 
Cardinal dei Medici who sent her. You should see 
her paces : as gentle as a dove and as swift as a 
greyhound ! Come, Maria, for here is Messire For- 
tunati to play the host to your mother. " 

Madonna Lucrezia's permission was readily given 
and the two children joyfully set forth to the stables, 
where Maria was called upon to admire all the points 
of the new favourite, La Savoya, to Feed it from hei 
hand and stroke its velvet skin. Then Giovanni 
called for a bridle, and springing on the bare back of 



GIOVANNI WITH THE SALVIATI 45 

the little mare, he rode her round the meadow to show 
ofT his splendid horsemanship, and brought her back, 
gently curvetting, to the girl, who clapped her hands 
with enthusiasm. Then nothing would satisfy him 
but she must go round to the kennels and see and 
admire the last wolf-hound puppies. Giovanni had 
inherited his mother's passion for horses and dogs, 
while if little Maria was inwardly afraid of some of 
these formidable pets, she bravely hid her fears, and 
was eloquent in her praise of all the creatures he 
loved. 

Presently they strayed away under the pleached 
arbour, where the roses climbed and revelled in their 
wild luxuriance ; on beyond the fresh and silvery 
olive trees and the yellow holy thorn ; down into the 
valley, where the first sweet hay was drying in the 
balmy sunshine. There they rested on a shady 
bank beneath the spreading fig branches and, en- 
couraged by her companion's unwonted gentleness, 
Maria found her opportunity to speak homely words of 
comfort and give utterance to her burning sympathy. 

" Giovanni, my friend, talk to me about your 
mother. Were you with her at the last ? Tell me 
all she said, all she would have you do." But the 
boy's bereavement was too recent for him to speak 
of it and so relieve the dumb oppression of his soul. 
His eyes were fixed in dim abstraction on the river 
below, winding in and out amongst the trees, gleaming 
like silver in the sun. 

No answer came, but softly Maria spoke again. 

" Madonna Caterina was so brave, so noble, like a 
gallant soldier rather than a mere woman. I never 
envied any one like your mother, Giovanni. No 
danger could alarm her ; there was no foe she might 



46 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

not face. I love to hear my father tell the story of 
her famous deeds; he says the world rang with 
her fame. How proud you must be of her ! What 
would I give for a lion heart like hers — I who am so 
weak and timid ! " she sighed. 

" I like you best as you are, Maria/' said the boy, 
slowly and gravely. " Of course no one can be like 
my mother. But you may rest content, for I will 
take care of you always, and fight for you against all 
the world. You will be useful in the home, and sit 
at your needlework, and care for your flowers." 

If the gentle Maria was not quite satisfied with 
the part which she was expected to play, she made 
no sign. It was possibly the strong contrast between 
their characters which had drawn this boy and girl 
together from their earliest years. Although the 
little maiden was to thrill and shiver for many a 
year at the story of her hero's fierce exploits, his 
fighting, his reckless hunting, and his wild escapades, 
yet she would not have had him otherwise, though 
he should break her heart. 

Another incident of that visit. Maria was destined 
never to forget. While Fortunati was absorbed in 
the task of going through the letters and papers of 
his mistress, Messire Salviati, the boy's other guardian, 
came to Castello to verify the inventory of his rich 
inheritance. The many treasures of inlaid and 
carved furniture, the gold and silver plate, the costly 
tapestry, the rare books and manuscripts, even those 
priceless pictures, the Prima vera and the Birth of 
Venus, painted by Botticelli for his fat her — all these 
roused but little interest in the young heir. But 
when it came to a collection of old armour, Giovanni 
grew excited, and with eager enthusiasm pointed out 



MARIA MADDALENA ROMOLA SALVIATI 47 

• 

to Maria the worn cuirasses dented with blows, the 
bronze carbines, the straight cross-hilted swords 
which had seen such good service, the battered 
helmets, and other ancient arms. 

Presently they came to an engraved casket from 
which the boy eagerly drew forth a long shining 
dagger, and cried, in ringing tones : "It was my 
mother's greatest treasure, sent her by the Soudan. 
Look, Maria ; take it in your hand. Did you ever 
see such a marvel of workmanship ? Eight-sided with 
notches, a blade forged of steel and silver as long as 
my arm from the elbow to the wrist joint, and the 
guard, a hollowed disk. Feel for yourself how 
finely it is balanced." 

The young girl held the wonderful dagger with 
the kind of fascinated terror which she would have 
felt if it were a snake. Still she found courage to 
say, " Surely this delicate point, like a needle, 
would break off at the first rude blow % " 

' Why, Maria, the spike is so strong that it would 
pierce chain armour ! I wish I could show you." 
But she hastily interrupted : 

" What are those deep channels scored on each 
side, towards the point ? " 

" Those are channels for the blood to run down. 
. . . There, give it me back, for you will never under- 
stand unless you see me use it ! 9i cried Giovanni, 
whose fierce lust of blood was roused by the mere 
touch of this deadly weapon. 

Maria had caught the wild look in his eye as he 
turned towards the open doorway, and she instinc- 
tively tightened her hold on the dagger, whose point 
barely grazed her wrist in the slight unconscious 
struggle. Extreme in all things, the boy's mood 



48 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

had changed to one of wild alarm ; he threw the danger- 
ous thing on the ground and in a moment was on 
his knees with his lips pressed to the wound. 

" Maria, Maria ! how do we know that this Eastern 
toy is not poisoned ? Let me suck out the venom ! " 
he muttered in despair. 

But the brave little maiden gave the lie to her pale 
face, and hid her trembling fears with a merry laugh, 
as she drew down her brocaded sleeve and vowed 
that she had not even a scratch. She would have 
done much more to win one passing smile of approval 
from her gallant cousin, or to avert from him one 
word of reproach. 



CHAPTER III 

The home of Giovanni in the mountain castle of Trebbio — His passion 
for hunting — A turbulent youth in Florence and Rome — The 
return of the Medici to power in Florence — Cardinal dei Medici 
becomes Pope as Leo. X. 

The favourite home where the boy Giovanni dei 
Medici spent most of his eager tempestuous boyhood 
was the mountain fortress of Trebbio, perched high 
like a falcon's nest in the wild valley of the Mugello. 
It is thus described to us in an old chronicle : 

" A fortified palace, situated in the Mugello, in the 
County of Florence, the district of Santa Maria ; a 
place called the Trebbio ; including a dwelling for the 
lord with a tower and a little meadow, a garden, 
stables and other buildings. Also an enclosure, 
that is to say a closed place for wild animals with 
a house near convenient to keep grain in and a 
cellar and other buildings of less importance ; a wild 
vine covering these last ; also a chestnut wood and 
a church near the said palace and a fountain." 

Trebbio was a true mediaeval fortress, the ideal 
home for a young condottiere, with its massive stone 
walls and high towers, a moat and draw-bridge, an 
arsenal full of ancient arms, and a high look-out 
tower which commanded the country round. Here 

49 



50 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

the boy found the sword of his famous ancestor, that 
Muzio Attendolo who first took the name of Sforza, 
and on whose exploits Giovanni was never weary 
of dwelling. The wild savage stronghold suited his 
temper exactly; here, this lad of twelve was prac- 
tically his own master, for he took but small account 
of the unfortunate tutors who were provided for 
him, in constant succession. The seneschal and 
bailiff, Antonio Vaini, to whom the two guardians 
from afar carefully doled out a certain amount of 
money, had more influence over the young heir 
than any one else. His great passion was for hunting, 
and into this he threw himself with whole-hearted 
devotion. 

In that hilly country, then covered with thick forests 
and rough brushwood stretching almost to the gates of 
Florence, there was abundance of game, which round 
shelter amidst the rocks and briars. Here Giovanni 
flew his goshawks or went out with his dogs and had 
excellent sport, for the valley of the Mugello was noted 
for its exquisite quails and for the " tordi " — those 
delicious thrushes of Tuscany, fed on juniper and 
arbutus — which the good Fortunati so thoroughly 
appreciated. 

The young hunter made a special study of his dogs, 
for which the Countess of Forli had always been 
famous. He had a breed selected for their swiftness, 
which meant a broad chest and long stretch, with 
strong legs, not too short ; and he admired a finely 
pointed muzzle, a good chin, and a skin like velvet. 
His hounds must also be intelligent and run well in 
couples. As for his falcons, he chose them strong 
on the wing, of red plumage, well feathered, and with 
short legs ; they should be free and willing in their 




Anderson, photo. Raphael: Pitti Gallery. Florence. 

POPE LEO X. AND TWO CARDINALS. 



51 



LIFE AT THE TREBBIO 53 

flight, of great fierceness yet easy to hood, and with 
a proud, upright carriage when borne on the wrist. 

Wherever the young lord went through his wide 
estates, his people loved him for his genial ways, his 
open heart and hand like his mother. Everywhere 
he was welcomed and feasted with fruit and simple 
fare. The country folk delighted in his splendid vigour 
and his manly love of sport ; they did not want a 
scholar and a dilettante, like so many of the Medici. 
This boy was never at a loss, for in the summer time 
when other sport might fail, he would climb down 
the steep rocky side of the Trebbio to bathe and 
swim for hours with his young companions in the 
Kiver Sieve — to the horror of the devoted Antonio 
Vaini, who wrote despairing letters to his guardians 
in Florence. 

When he was persuaded to visit the city Giovanni 
only found life tolerable if he could have his fill of 
rough games, such as the pallone — played with a heavy 
oval ball, struck with the hand over the houses in 
the street — or the palla al calcio, a kind of violent 
football played in the big meadow just inside the 
Porta del Prato. Above all, the passion for fighting 
was in his blood and he never missed the opportunity of 
a hand-to-hand combat. The Salviati tried to restrain 
him by causing him to wear in Florence the good old 
citizen dress, without a cape or a " berretta " ; but the 
boy simply folded his mantle like a noble's cape and 
snatched a " berretta " from the head of a companion, 
before setting forth on some turbulent street adven- 
ture. He was in such deadly earnest that one day he 
struck too hard and swung his antagonist heavily 
into the gutter, where his head fell against a sharp 
stone. The unfortunate fellow, a big, clumsy town 

4 



54 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

boy named Pietro, never moved, and the other bov- in 
alarm carried him to the Hospice close by. When 
Giovanni learnt that his opponent was dead he 
hurried in grief and dismay to the Salviati Palace. 
It was always there that he brought his troubles, and 
this was the most serious which had ever befallen 
him. 

" Maria ! Maria ! M was his cry. " I have killed 
that big Pietro ! It was in fair fight and by mis- 
chance he fell ; but I know not what will come of it. 
Tell me what shall I do ? " 

" You poor Giovanni ! M sobbed the young girl. 
" My father is away at the Civic Council, but I will 
call my mother/' 

When Madonna Lucrezia had heard the whole story 
she was quite as much distressed as her daughter. 

" I would have given all my jewels that this should 
not have happened, my dear boy ! M she said. " You 
have been too wild already, and Messire Soderini has 
threatened more than once to banish you ; but your 
guardian has a voice in the affairs of the Republic 
and he will not fail you now." 

" Shall I go before the Council and tell how it came 
about ? " asked the boy, who was never wanting in 
courage. 

" No, no, Giovanni, that would risk too much," 
pleaded the good lady. " You will be safer at the 
Villa Castello ; and you had best ride off at once 
with your men, and abide there quietly until I send 
you word." 

It was with a heavy heart that the boy took his 
leave, Maria's soft farewell ringing in his e. 
" You will be ever in our thoughts,, dear Giovanni, 
and we will pray for you ! M 



A DANGEKOUS MISCHANCE 55 

An anxious time followed, but in the end, Salviati, 
with much difficulty, obtained a mild sentence. The 
young prince was to be banished from Florence itself, 
but he might remain in his Villas of Castello and the 
Trebbio. Of course his companions and flatterers 
compared him to a hero of ancient days : "He was 
like another Patroclus, the friend of Hercules, who 
was banished when young for killing another boy, so 
old Homeras saith." 

With all bis passionate impulses there was a firm 
foundation of honour and loyalty in the lad, for 
when a certain flatterer said to him, " Let them 
banish you now, Messire ! You will be Lord of 
Florence one day ! " Giovanni impetuously drew 
his dagger and cried : 

" Never dare to suggest such treachery ! Do you 
think I would ever oppress my dear city, when all I 
ask is to protect her from her foes and destroy them ! " 

A rumour was spread abroad that the turbulent 
young Medici had been killed by a fall from his horse, 
and the good priest Fortunati was in great anxiety. 
But Salviati, his fellow guardian, soon set his mind 
at rest. 

"... Be of good cheer, our Giovanni is very 
much alive, and in the best of tempers. He has been 
with me to Pisa and Livorno ; he has seen something 
of the country round and has had a very good time. 
Believe me, he is like white wine, which needs much 
knocking about ! " 

So it seemed that the most dangerous adventures 
only gained extra holidays for this favoured child of 
fortune. The devoted Fortunati wrote him pages 
of good advice. 



56 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

"... You must not stay in Pisa when the cruel 
wintry weather comes, Giovanni; I dread the cold 
rain and the snow for you. Come back to Castello, 
my son. I send you six ducats for your pleasures, 
but make Ser Jacobi keep an account of them. Yet 
you must not let people think you shabby or 
miserly ; I would have you free-handed and magni- 
ficent, as is suitable to your condition. . . ." 

There was really no reason for this last counsel, 
as never did any one make his money fly more freely 
than Caterina's son. He so loved all the good things 
of life : horses, dogs, and falcons ; games, feasts, and 
jests ; and, alas ! the most disreputable company. 
Giovanni was at his best in his mountain home at 
Trebbio, with his violent out-door sports and his 
indefatigable pursuit of all that might fit him for 
the art of war. We are told that he would fence, night 
and day, with the tried old soldiers who had served the 
Madonna of Forli, and they never could succeed in 
wearing out his youthful energy. He became the most 
expert horseman of his day ; he studied the use of 
arms and of every means of siege and defence. When 
the mood took him, he would give the most extra- 
vagant village festivals, of which he himself was the 
life and soul — running, throwing the bar, besides 
jumping and wrestling with the villagers, who almost 
worshipped their gay young lord. 

We find Jacopo Salviati writing of him at this 
time : 

" Giovanni may be wild and passionate but hie lias 

a good heart. We must have patience with him, 
my dear Fortunati, in this flower of his age, and 



GIOVANNI GOES TO HOME 57 

only use the bit with discretion to guide him as much 
as possible. . . " 

It was in September 1512 that an event took 
place which made a great change in the position of our 
hero. Eighteen years before, the Medici of the elder 
branch had been cast down from their high estate as 
rulers of Florence, and had been driven into exile. 
Now, by a series of intrigues which we have no space 
to describe, the men of Florence " once more returned 
to their ancient chains/' and humbled themselves 
before their former princes and tyrants. The trium- 
phant partisans of the Medici could not forget 
that Jacopo Salviati had been a friend of Savonarola, 
the priest of Christian liberty and the foe of tyrants. 
They could not attack him openly, so high was his 
fame and reputation — moreover, his wife Lucrezia 
was the daughter of the Magnificent Lorenzo dei 
Medici — so Salviati was disposed of in the good old 
fashion : sent away as an ambassador to Rome. 

Thus it came about that Giovanni paid his first 
visit to the Eternal City, for his guardian wished to 
keep in touch with him. By the return of his family 
to power, this boy had become an important person- 
age : his banishment was at an end and all his short- 
comings were blotted out. 

There is a curious list, in the handwriting of Fran- 
cesco Fortunati, of the magnificent equipment thought 
needful for the young prince on his journey to Rome, 
It is too long to copy in full, but we find : 

" Two great Lombard coffers, of varnished black 
leather, cased with plated mounts. 

" Six embroidered shirts, of fine linen, new. Six 
handkerchiefs with insertion, new. Ten handker- 



58 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

chiefs of fine linen, worn. Two feather pillows covered 
with shot silk. 

" Ten pairs of shoes of fancy leather. A dagger 
with inlaid handle. 

" A doublet of satin, al lacco, new. A doublet 
of crimson velvet, new. 

" Doublets of grey satin, of black satin, and two 
of scarlet velvet, worn. 

" A great robe of crimson velvet, the collar lined 
with Spanish cat, new. 

" A great robe of black velvet, lined with fur, new. 
A surcoat of blue velvet lined with brown, new. A 
surcoat of black damask, lined with brown, new, 
and others. 

" A cape of violet cloth, lined with silver-grey 
damask, with a Spanish hood, and three others. A 
surcoat of silver-grey felt, striped with black damask, 
for the water. 

" A pair of Lucca shoes, new. A pair of em- 
broidered black cloth shoes, new, and a pair of white 
cloth. A pair of velvet shoes, and a pair of morocco 
shoes. A pair of morocco boots. A pair of strong 
boots of calf. 

" A white beaver hat, new. A broad hat lined 
with black silk. A variety of caps, some of cloth of 
gold." 

Then follows an inventory of house linen, em- 
broidered covers, hangings of silk and tapestry, arms 
and travelling equipments, all on a sumptuous scale, 
suitable for the young lord's high estate. 

This boy of fourteen arrived in Rome on March 21, 
1512, and lost no time in throwing himself headlong 
into the varied, exciting, and corrupt life of the great 



ANXIOUS DAYS FOE FORTUNATI 59 

city. His guardian soon had reason bitterly to regret 
having sent for him, and took the curious step of 
suggesting a visit to Naples, from whence, however, 
Giovanni soon returned and behaved worse than ever. 
Salviati wrote a long letter to old Fortunati, entering 
fully into his troubles, and concluding : "If there is 
no other remedy, I shall be obliged to send him 
back to Florence." 

Fierce and turbulent alike in his love and his hate, 
the precocious lad was in serious danger, not only for his 
morals but even for his life, in the haunts of evil which 
made a byword of Papal Rome in the Renaissance. 
His two guardians had no peace until some months 
later, when he was safely back in Florence under the 
eye of his business-like cousin Pietro Francesco, who 
tried to interest him in the still unfinished division 
of their property. However, Giovanni managed to 
keep up a very gay life in his palace by the Corso, 
and we can still see one of the orders he scribbled to 
Fortunati at Castello : 

" I pray you send by my man Toso, two couples 
of good capons, some thrushes if possible, ten flasks 
of wine and at least eight ducats, without fail. For 
you know a feast costs money. . . ." 

At the carnival of 1513, when the Medici were 
having splendid festivities to keep the people of 
Florence in good temper, Giovanni writes again to 
the old priest : 

" The Triumphs are going round to-night. Come, 
therefore, it you want to see them. ..." 

It was indeed a magnificent show, and we do not 



60 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

wonder that the genial old canon enjoyed it almost 
as much as the boy of fifteen. They sat in state at 
the first-floor window of the Medici Palace in the Corso, 
gaily hung with banners and tapestry, while, again 
and again, the procession paused to cheer the gallant 
young prince of the reigning house. He had been 
behind the scenes, and could explain everything. 

" Look, my father ; there goes the Triumph of the 
Diamond, and Messire Giuliano is at the head of it. 
You see they are all clad as Romans of the old days. 
The next one coming yonder is that of the Laurel 
Trunk, from which we Medici sprang, and it is led by 
our Messire Lorenzo. ..." 

As the gorgeous painted cars passed by, resplendent 
with gold and silver, with the shining armour, the 
torches, the wondrous line of strange animals, the 
boy clapped his hands and shouted with enthusiasm. 
But Fortunati was still more interested by the 
wonderful procession of the Age of Gold, in which 
the gods and heroes were represented. There was 
grim Saturn, and Janus with his two faces, and 
King Numa, Torquatus, the Caesars, Cleopatra in 
a car with her ladies, and endless real and fabulous 
characters magnificently portrayed. One striking 
figure was a little boy, gilt all over, to represent 
the Golden Age, but this was a tragedy, for he 
died of it. 

The memory of this gorgeous Triumph had not 
faded away before still greater glory awaited the 
House of Medici. Before the end of March the 
Cardinal Giovanni dei Medici became Pope under 
the name of Leo X. Madonna Lucrezia Salviati, his 
favourite sister, with her husband and family, were 
in Rome to take part in his Coronation, the most 



THE MEDICI POPE, LEO X., ELECTED 61 

splendid and triumphant which ever Pope had 
enjoyed. Our young Giovanni was present of course, 
and distinguished himself by the sumptuous mag- 
nificence of his costume and equipage, and by his 
incomparable horsemanship, which delighted the 
populace. He at once gained high favour with 
the Pope, who did not forget him, but in the general 
rush for good appointments other members of the 
family put in their first claim. 

When Lorenzo returned to govern Florence in 
August, Salviati accompanied him, and also the boy 
Giovanni, who by that time was longing for his 
Tuscan villas. He had already written long before to 
Fortunati, or rather dictated a letter which he signed 
with a flourish like a plume of feathers and a few 
splashes like bullet marks. 

" Most honoured and venerable father. . . . You 
tell me that you have my room ready and I am 
well pleased. ... I long to see those fresh streams 
and also the ortolans. I pray you keep some for 
me and I will show you a new way of cooking 
them. . . . Give my respects to my dear lady 
Lucrezia and also to la Maria 9S (who were at 
Florence), " and tell them that I am well and I 
hope they are also. . . . God keep you. 

"Rome, June 11, 1513." 

At length Giovanni's highest ambition was to be 
gratified : he received a post, at the same time as 
Pietro Salviati, in the armed militia of Giuliano dei 
Medici, now Captain-General of Rome. The lad began 
his training as a captain at once, and threw all the 
fierce energy of his nature into this profession of arms. 



62 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOB 

He aroused the greatest enthusiasm in his teachers, 
and his progress -was watched with keen interest 
by the crafty Lorenzo. Madonna Lucrezia shows her 
satisfaction in a letter from Rome. 

" My loving son, salutation ! . . . I look upon you 
as one of my own children and will always treat you 
as such. ... I hear every day how well you are 
behaving and that you are always with the Magnificent 
Lorenzo, which gives me great pleasure. . . . Believe 
me that I only seek what is good for your body and 
soul, therefore be of good courage and good will, for 
you are ever in my heart, but you must have patience, 
for time rules all things. . . . Keep in good health 
and good temper, and live wisely as I am sure you do 
and God will not forsake you. . . . Take care that 
your letters are delivered into my own hands. I 
recommend la Maria to you ; go and see her often. 

" She who is like a mother to you, 

•'•'Lucrezia Salviati dei Medici. 

" Rome. April 8, 1514." 

Maria was by this time quite recognised as his 
future wife, and her position was no sinecure, for the 
boy brought all his troubles to her, talking ever of 
arms and armour and horses and fighting. He poured 
out to her his burning ambition to prove his metal in 
real fighting, to show off his hereditary valour and 
his splendid horsemanship on the field of battle. 

Meanwhile, to pass the time until his military 
services should be in request, the young prince was 
taking an interest in the management of hia estates 
and sending imperious commands to }\i< steward-. 
Thus he writes to Antonio Vaini, in July 1514 : 



THE BOY ENTEES MILITAEY SERVICE 63 

" Messire Antonio, referring to your last letter, 
I see that you were to send me wine and various 
couples of fowls. You have not sent the fowls, I do 
not know why. Do not forget to send me four or 
five couples and as many more pigeons — in short a 
full load for a donkey, from Trebbio. Also I require 
a pan of lard and the rest of the flour. That is all for 
to-day." 

Giovanni went to his beloved Trebbio in the autumn 
for the hunting and shooting, and we find Fortunati, 
who was a decided epicure, writing to his dear boy to 
send him partridges and also fish of which he heard 
there was plenty. And in return he sent good 
pasties and cucumbers from Castello. 

In October there came a message full of hope from 
Madonna Lucrezia. She sent word that Giovanni 
was to hold himself in readiness, for she believed 
there would soon be a post for him, and he must 
come, quick, quick to Rome. But he must not start 
until he should hear from her. And she signed her 
letter proudly, 

" Lucrezia Salviati, sister of our Serenissimo 
Lord the Pope." 



CHAPTER IV 

The Death of Giuliano dei Medici — Leo X. summons Giovanni to Rome 
— His first taste of real war — Marriage of Giovanni dei Medici 
with Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati — Giovanni wins fame 
in the war against Urbino. 

Giuliano dei Medici, the favourite brother of Pope 
Leo, who could not do enough for him — Giuliano the 
courtly Prince of the Cortegiano, Captain-General of 
the Church, Due de Nemours, and recently married 
to Philiberte, Princess of Savoy — was slowly dying at 
Fiesole. As usual, poison was suspected ; did not his 
nephew Lorenzo at Florence begrudge him the un- 
bounded devotion of the Pope, who wished to make 
a sovereign prince of his gentle brother ? In any 
case Giuliano 's death was bitterly lamented by the 
young Giovanni, who had looked upon him as his 
leader to fame and conquest. All the service he 
could now render to his lord was to take part in the 
stately funeral procession, when the body of Giuliano 
was borne from the Convent of San Marco, the home 
of Fra Angelico and Savonarola, to his tomb in San 
Lorenzo. 

In the midst of that princely company of mourners — 
where amongst the flaming torches and candles 
waved the flags which the dead man had never used 
on a field of battle — rode Giovanni dei Medici in a 
long black silk mantle, raising in his hands the great 

64 



DEATH OF GIULIANO DEI MEDICI 65 

banner of the Church, slowly down the Via Larga. 
The other standard was carried by Pietro Salviati, 
and these two young condottieri especially attracted 
the attention of the Florentine crowd. 

Maria Salviati watched the splendid procession 
from the Medici Palace, with other great ladies of her 
family, and that evening Giovanni had thrilling news 
for her. 

" I am to go to Rome in a fortnight, Maria/' he 
cried. " Your mother has been a true prophet, 
and now His Holiness has sent for me." 

" Then we shall be together, for now that my 
sister is better, I am to return there with my mother 
to-morrow. Tell me — will you stay with us ? " she 
asked. 

" No, my dear Maria ; the Serenissimo has provided 
me with a palace of my own, and I am to take splendid 
furnishing there, suitable for a great household. 
You must advise me what to choose ? " 

" You will take back all the wonderful gold and 
silver plate which your mother brought from Rome, 
and the tapestry with the Riario arms, and those 
beautiful tapestry hangings with all the story of 
Abraham worked in silk and gold. ..." 

" Fortunati will see to all that ; I will write to him 
to-morrow ; but I must have rich clothes, and armour, 
and carpets, and linen for household use. . . . There 
is one splendid suit of silver armour, with a helmet 
and gauntlets all complete, which I would not leave 
behind on any account. You must think of all the 
fine things I shall need, for you see that I must 
make a good show in Rome to do honour to His 
Holiness." 

" I will speak to my mother, and we will try to 



66 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

remember everything/' said Maria simply. ' How 
proud we shall '■iovanni ! But all this 

will cost a fortune ? " 

"It is for my company that I want money.'' ex- 
claimed the young warrior. M I have spent so much 
on them already, and now my captains must have 
embroidered gloves and armour and trappings for 
their horses. I must show you the splendid suit I 
have had made for my chestnut barb ; with collar and 
breastplate and chamfret all complete. You see I 
only care for all this as it brings me nearer to real 
war" ! Think of it, Maria ! " 

She did think of it, poor girl, and though she bravely 
kept a smiling face, her great dark eyes grew dim 
and the colour faded from her cheeks as she realised 
that all this preparation would take her boy 
one day into the midst of terrible fighting, and 
battle, and wounds . . . and what would be the 
end of it I 

So Giovanni went to Rome, and installed himself 
in magnificent style with a great household, and 
sunned himself in the favour of the luxurious Medici 
Pope. But little cared the young warrior about 
rare tapestries and sumptuous house linen ; his whole 
heart was devoted to the training of his company 
and, with precocious wisdom, to winning the hearts 
of his captains. Nothing was too good for them ; 

!y armour and apparel, horses of the b< 
dogs and falcons for hunting. He was their fountain 
of honour rather than their master, and hereafter 
they would follow him to the death. It was at this 
time that the young condottiere made 
of a certain Corsican captain named Tristan, and that 
he first began to recruit his company from thuse brave 



LEO X. SUMMONS GIOVANNI TO ROME 67 

islanders who, with their solid courage and splendid 
endurance, were to become unconquerable under his 
marvellous training. 

But all these military preparations were costly in 
the extreme, and although Leo X. was lavish with his 
promises, he was always short of money on account 
of his personal extravagance. Giovanni, who spared 
nothing for his soldiers, now began that fatal system 
of borrowing from the rich Hospital of Santa Maria 
Nuova, which was in time to devour all his fortune. 
His first real taste of war was a kind of border-raid 
upon the Orsini, under the Pope's orders, in which 
he showed his reckless valour ; and he was then sent 
to take possession of Sermonetta, that malarious 
place in the Pontine marshes, where he was again 
triumphantly successful. 

More important service soon awaited him, for the 
Medici Pope, in emulation of Alexander VI., wished 
to make a " Caesar Borgia " of his nephew Lorenzo, 
now that the more scrupulous Giuliano was dead. 
So with the instincts of a brigand, supported by all 
the wealth and power of the Church, Leo X. set 
himself to rob the Princes of the Romagna, and 
especially to conquer the dominions of Francesco 
Maria, Duke of Urbino, for the profit of the weak 
and crafty Lorenzo. In the summer of 1516 the 
States of Urbino were invaded by the Papal forces 
from three quarters, in such overwhelming strength 
that the Duke, anxious to save his subjects from 
a hopeless struggle, bowed before the storm and 
yielded all but a few citadels, to await his time in 
the future. The war only lasted twenty-two days, 
but even in that short time Giovanni had learnt 
much, and served his first apprenticeship to the great 



68 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

work of his life, as the supreme leader of his famous 
bands. 

The young knight of eighteen had won his spurs, 
but he was being led into bad company in Rome, 
through his intimacy with the Illustrious Lorenzo, 
and it was thought well to carry out his long-arranged 
marriage before the next war should break forth. 
The Salviati had their time fully occupied between 
Florence and Rome, where their son Pietro was 
nominated Prior of the Eternal City. It was 
on a November day of this year, 1516, that the 
wedding ceremony took place between Giovanni 
dei Medici and Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati. 
The notaries on both sides had long been engaged 
with the terms of so great an alliance — Maria was 
to bring her husband a dowry of twenty thousand 
gold ducats, the same as her sister Elena received 
on becoming Princess of Piombino. Nothing was 
neglected in the way of money matters, for Madonna 
Lucrezia had all the business talent of her great 
merchant family. She was a brave, energetic woman, 
showing great talent and discretion in the management 
of her ten children ; arranging princely marriages for 
them and, between times, obtaining a Cardinal's 
hat or a rich Priory for various sons. 

When the great day arrived, all Florence was given 
up to festivity, for the high position and youth of 
the bride and bridegroom, both connected with the 
reigning family, gave additional interest to the 
splendid ceremony. At the corner of that gloomy 
street of the old town, the Via Pandolfino, stands the 
ancient church of San Procolo, enriched by the 
works of Giotto and Filippo Lippi, where the Sal- 
viati had their private chapel to the right of the high 







Erogi. photo. 



School of Yasari : Palazzo Yecchio : Florence. 
CATHERINE DEI MEDICI. 



69 



GIOVANNI MARRIES MARIA SALVIATI 71 

altar. Here it was that the handsome young Medici, 
his broad, sturdy figure richly arrayed, proudly led 
the slender Salviati maiden, of the delicate features, 
the tender mouth, and the great dreamy dark eyes 
which seemed already to forecast the tragedy of her 
passionate love. 

After the wedding mass the procession set forth 
to the Salviati Palace in the Corso and, in stately 
magnificence, passed under the spacious colonnade 
recently decorated in the style of Michelozzi. The 
girl-bride of seventeen, in her stiff white brocade 
and pearls, sat between her father and mother, facing 
the bridegroom, at the great banquet given in their 
honour, and we are told that the guests were enter- 
tained by buffoons between the courses. But after 
the sumptuous repast they had to listen to a matri- 
monial sermon, in which the young married lovers 
were instructed in their duties. Next came the 
supreme moment when Giovanni gave the ring to 
Maria, and placed it on her finger, and she in turn 
presented him with one. 

The wedding festivities lasted for some days, as 
the young warrior, in the joy of his heart, had pre- 
pared a splendid series of jousts and tournaments 
in honour of his lady. In these he gallantly dis- 
tinguished himself above all his gay companions, by 
his consummate skill and unrivalled valour. In the 
enclosed space at the northern end of the lists was a 
raised dais, hung with richly coloured hangings and 
filled with ladies in gala dress. In the place of 
honour sat the young bride who, in all that sea 
of waving plumage, glittering helmets, and tall lances, 
had eyes only for her hero. She watched him ride 
into the lists to the sound of trumpets, clad in shining 

5 



72 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

armour, his lance on the rest, and the great white 
panache on his helmet swaying in the wind, while 
her heart throbbed with pride to see the perfect 
mastery with which he guided his magnificent war- 
horse. But when the opposing knights closed in 
fierce conflict with a great shock, and lances burst 
into shivers and, amid the clash of arms, here and 
there a knight was hurled to the ground, then the 
gentle Maria — utterly modern and remote from her 
own period, in her horror of bloodshed — could only 
hold her breath and close her eyes. 

In such a moment, she could realise with a bitter 
pang how far asunder she must ever be from the 
one she loved, the fierce young condottiere, to whom 
this mere semblance of war was a passionate delight. 
Dimly she foresaw that, to the end, she must hold 
the second place, for her Giovanni was indeed one 
of those who had " tolto la corazza per moglie " * 
(wedded the cuirass). 

Jacopo Salviati gave his palace in the Corso to 
the young Medici, and it is curious to remember 
that it was built on the site of the old house of Folco 
Portinari, where Dante first saw his Beatrice. But 
there was nothing in the warlike spirit of Giovanni 
to recall the thoughts and aspirations of the poet. 
Not his the high and heavenly love described in the 
Vita Nuova ; the poet's dream, the holy calm of 
that sacred vision were far beyond his conception. 
We cannot even imagine him turning over the Leaves 
of that splendid copy of Dante's works on vellum, 
illustrated by Sandro Botticelli for his great kinsman 
Lorenzo. 

* Corlegiano, I. xvii. p. 40, edit. Cian. 



FIRST TASTE OF REAL WAR 73 

A fighter from his birth, his chief delight will ever 
be in waving banners, in glittering lances, and fleet 
war-horses ; in the tumnlt of battle and the joy of 
conquest. Maria, of the tender dark eyes — those 
deep wells of passion — she will never hold him ; for 
wife and home have no binding power to compare 
with his lust of war. 

It needed but a little while to show how true this 
was. A passing illness kept him in Florence until 
the middle of December, but within a month of his 
wedding he left his young wife, not to meet her again 
for many a day. He is in Rome, eagerly engaged 
in training and making ready his company of a 
hundred light horsemen, who with their attendants 
made up eight hundred men. Francesco Maria, 
with the help of foreign mercenaries, was making a 
determined attempt to recover his dominions, and 
the campaign against him commenced at the begin- 
ning of the year 1517. Young Giovanni was so high 
in the Pope's esteem that his company of light 
horsemen was doubled in number, and he was also, 
for the first time, placed in command of five hundred 
foot-soldiers ; moreover, he was first in the field. 
But before setting forth he received a letter from 
Maria, written on January 3. In the rare epistles 
which he sends to her, he addresses her simply as 
" Consorte Mia " (My wife), very unlike the elaborate 
ceremony with which his father wrote to Caterina 
Sforza : " Most Illustrious, and Most Excellent 
Lady, my only hope, most precious . . . , ,J 

Giovanni has news again of his wife at Bologna ; 
he is told that she is well, " that she is working at a 
hood for a falcon, at a piece of tapestry, and that 
her sister Elena is with her." But his chief corre- 



74 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

spondence is with Fortunati, from whom he insists 
upon obtaining money at any price. 

" My carissimo ... I inform you of my good 
health. It has pleased the Signor Lorenzo to give 
me a goodly number of light horsemen. I therefore 
beg you to send me two hundred ducats at once. Do 
not fail me for anything . . . seeing that I want them 
immediately . . . even if I have to pawn my wife's 
jewels ; I am writing to her and feel sure she will 
do what you tell her. I pray of you not to fail me, 
and to settle this as quickly as possible. . . . May 
Christ keep you from harm. 

" Giovanni dei Medici 
" (With his own hand). 

"January 13, 1517. In the Camp at Bologna." 

Poor little Maria ! Here we have a glimpse at the 
kind of love letters she received. His next letter 
is to Duke Lorenzo, written in March, when he had 
to defend the pass in the Apennines at Fiorenzuola. 
" We are here on the watch," he says. The war 
in those distant and rugged places was extremely 
costly, and even more so when he had to cross the 
mountains to Pesaro, where the gallant company 
was destitute of everything. The young captain 
writes to his faithful Fortunati : 

" Reverend father ... I send my servant Toso. 
. . . As is the way in war, these last days I have 
lost my mules with the few trifles which I brought 
from home. Tell them to send me a cape, a silk 
doublet and shirts, with all that you find in the 
house of mine. If they have been given away, 



LOVE LETTERS OF GIOVANNI 75 

have others made. I have received from Madonna 
four shirts, but that is not enough ; see that more 
are sent. 

" And besides, as I am badly mounted, you must 
send me the best and finest Arab horses that you 
can get in Florence, for mine are all out of condition. 

" And besides, you will find a trumpet for my 
trumpeter ; it must be a good one with a clear 
sound. . . . You will also have a seal made with 
the crest and my name ; the letters small on one 
side, and larger on the other for the licenses and the 
safe-conducts. Nothing more to say. Take care to 
keep well, and commend me to my Lady, Madonna 
Maria. 

" Your Giovanni dei Medici, as your son. 

"At the Camp in Pesaro. April 14, 1517." 

Poor Fortunati did his best to obey the orders 
of his imperious young lord, but it became more and 
more difficult to borrow the needful money, and 
worse was to come. This war was no mere dress 
parade like the first attack upon Urbino, but a 
serious campaign which lasted eight months. The 
young Medici was the only leader who was in deadly 
earnest, eager to win success at any price ; he alone 
paid his men himself, and took no share of the booty 
which fell to him by right of custom. The other 
condottieri only thought of their own interests, 
and were by no means anxious to end a war which 
kept them and their companies so well. 

Meantime Duke Lorenzo was glad to take advantage 
of a slight wound, to retire to the safety of his 
palace at Florence. He tried to keep command of 
the war from afar, while other favourites of the Pope, 



76 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

especially Cardinal Bibbiena, were constantly inter- 
fering, to the furious indignation of a real soldier like 
Giovanni, who suffered more than once through their 
blunders, enduring the loss of his camp, his horses, 
and all his possessions, and barely escaping with 
h s life. Even then, his most serious trouble was 
the failure of his well-laid plans. We see this in his 
violent complaints, although his passionate words 
have evidently been smoothed down by a courtly 
secretary. It was always the horses that the young 
leader thought of first, and these endless and un- 
necessary marches and counter-marches were utter 
destruction to them. 

From Cesena he writes to Fortunati : 

" Salutation ! I desire that you have made for 
me a silk banner with white and violet stripes ; and 
send it me as soon as possible ; as soon as it is ready 
give it to the bearer. 

" I hear that my wife is ill. Comfort her for 
the love of me. If I could leave, I would go and 
see her. Make my excuses to her." 

He received the standard four days later, with 
a hundred gold ducats and a good Arab horse, but 
at the same time a letter from his faithful friend, 
who is in despair as to how he can raise or borrow 
any more money. He adds : 

" Maria has had two attacks of tertian fever, and 
does not recover, and is very sad at heart. May 
God help her, for no one else tries to do so ! . . . 
" Ever yours, F. F., priest of Cascina." 

Poor Maria might well fret herself into a fever 



THE YOUNG CONDOTTIERE 77 

with anxiet}^ about her young husband, always in 
peril of his life through his reckless daring. Daughter 
of a race of bankers, she might well moan with 
despair over his spendthrift waste of money in this 
terrible war, and the ever-growing mountain of debt 
which must bring ruin in the near future. For if 
Giovanni refused to pay himself with booty, he 
was also unlike the other Medici in not grasping 
rich offices and gifts from the Pope. The young 
condottiere was no courtier ; we have seen in what 
terms he wrote about Cardinal Bibbiena, but worse 
was to come. When Duke Lorenzo had reluctantly 
put on the armour which Michelangelo had designed 
for him, and drawn near the seat of war, his young 
kinsman rushed into his presence at Oreiano,* and 
thoroughly abused two captains who had interfered 
with him the day before at Sorbolungo. 

"It is your fault, your negligence, or your 
cowardice, which lost us the chance of victory ! " 
he cried, facing them with defiance. 

In this war, which came to an end after eight 
months without satisfaction on either side, and 
where everything was on such a petty scale, Giovanni 
learnt his profession and grew to his full stature 
as a leader of soldiers. The aimless marches, the 
entangled skirmishes, taught him the value of rapidity, 
the secret of perfect discipline. He forged his own 
instruments, as all great men have done. He would 
replace the heavy cavalry, the cumbrous armour, 
the slow, massive horses which it required, by light, 
active Arab horses, easily managed and full of spirit, 
ridden by agile men lightly equipped. He formed 

* Eighteen miles below Pisa. 



78 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

for himself a staff of picked officers at a high pay, 
who were absolutely under his command, whose 
name and fame became one with his, and who were 
faithful to him alone, until his death. This careful 
cultivation of military talent was, in truth, the founda- 
tion of those famous bands with which his name is 
always associated. 

Giovanni returned in triumph from the war, with 
his great banner waving proudly over the bridle- 
paths of Romagna and the highway of the Caesars. 
He brought nothing back with him but the dawning 
rays of his coming greatness, and the whole-hearted 
devotion of his soldiers, who knew that their young 
leader was first in arms and valour above them all. 
Had they not seen him, in that famous skirmish with 
the hitherto unconquered Albanian, Andrea Gano, 
spring upon his foe, snatch from him his mighty 
battle-axe, and overthrow him in a moment ? And 
that earlier time, when their hero had seized a prisoner 
in his arms and with one great leap had carried 
him off victoriously ? What other leader, save 
Bayard, would have left the spoils of war to his men 
and taken nothing for himself ? 

In this futile and wasteful war, one deeper truth 
had been revealed to the warrior Medici, which is 
best set forth in the words of the historian Guic- 
ciardini. 

" It was the misfortune of our destiny that Italy 
should be divided amongst so many princes and 
states, so that with their various interests ... we 
are destined to perpetual misfortune." 



CHAPTER V 

Evil news for Maria — In defence of one of his men, Giovanni has 
defied the Lord Camillo d' Appiano and slain two of his servants — 
Giovanni escapes to Castello and thence to Ferrara — Sentence of 
banishment from Florence for five years is passed upon him. 

Maria Salviati sat alone in the fair tapestried 
chamber of the Villa Castello. The tall gilt clock 
in the corner pointed to the hour of midnight, and 
a wood fire smouldered on the marble hearth, for in 
February the hours after sunset were still chilly. 
As the young Princess dei Medici leant forward 
in her carved high-backed chair, the light from 
the silver lamp on her writing-table shone full upon 
her face, and showed the ravages which anxiety 
and fever had made in little more than one brief 
year since her marriage. The ivory tint of her 
complexion had become a sickly pallor, her cheeks 
were thin and sunken, and there was almost a lurid 
flame in her great dark eyes. Still only a girl of 
eighteen, she had the look of a mature woman who 
had suffered much. 

When that terrible war of Urbino had come to an 
end last autumn (1517), she had been full of hope 
and eager expectation. Her Giovanni would come 
back to her, and now would begin that blissful 
married life to which she had so long looked forward ! 
The ruinous expenses of the war would end ; now 
there would be monev for the household expenses, 

79 



80 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

and to pay the mean, harassing debts to the poor 
farmers for their " corn, their wine, their firewood 
and their meat/' 

But how different had been the reality. Her 
husband assured her that he must continue to pay 
his best caj3tains and the pick of his company at 
the risk of losing his high position, and that it was 
peace which was ruinous to him, when there was 
no chance of earning pay. The young Medici had 
thrown himself gaily into the life of a great lord ; 
in his palace in Florence he had never less than 
fifty retainers, and kept more than thirty horses 
in his stables and as many dogs for hunting. There 
was constant feasting with his reckless companions, 
and all his fortune, her dowry, and all the money 
he could borrow, were melting away. And there was 
still worse, for the young wife had indeed cause for 
jealous indignation. 

She had come across a letter, left carelessly in a 
doublet which he had asked her to mend, in which 
a person, who signed herself " Angelica/' had im- 
plored the " Illustrious Lord Giovanni " to protect 
her from her enemies, who had tried more than once 
to set fire at night to the wooden windows of her 
house in Florence. Then, one day when Maria was 
attending Mass in her own church of San Procolo, 
a painted woman, with noisy attendants, had flaunted 
in and glanced at her with a contemptuous smile 
. . . and her maid had told her this was the notorious 
Angelica. . . . 

But all these troubles had paled into insignificance 
before the last terrible rashness and insubordination 
of the young condottiere. On that inlaid table by 
her side was the copy of a challenge which be had 



GIOVANNI'S CHALLENGE 81 

sent three months before to a kinsman, the Lord 
Camillo d/Appiano oVAragona, cousin of Jacopo V., 
Prince of Piombino. 

" Lord Camillo. These latter days there arrived 
at Piombino a man who is in my service, called el 
Corsetto [the Little Corsican] . . . and he asked if 
you had any message for me. You made him wait ; 
then you gave him five or six wounds in your own 
house . . . and after that you call yourself a gentle- 
man, when the greatest rascal in the world would 
not have done such a shameful thing. And in order 
to show you your error, I let you know that you 
behaved badly and ignobly like a vile man of the 
lowest rank . . . and I call upon you to meet me 
in arms and I will punish you for your sin. If you 
are an honourable man you will not fail in this, . . . 
though I doubt if you will dare to fight me. ... I 
will send you word of a safe meeting place, suitable 
to people of our condition ; and if you do not accept 
battle, I will do what a poor fellow of your sort 
deserves. And let this suffice for you ; I give you 
a limit of fifteen days, dating from the day when 
you receive this letter. 

" Given November 25, 1517. 

"I, Giovanni dei Medici . . . and two witnesses." 

The duel appears to have been absolutely forbidden 
by the Duke Lorenzo and Jacopo V., Prince of Piom- 
bino, but Giovanni's blood was roused. He would 
listen to no remonstrances, and was driven nearly 
wild with all the delays and correspondence, espe- 
cially as he had obtained safe-conducts for himself 
and his adversary from Luigi Gonzaga, Count of 



82 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Rodigo, who gave them permission to meet, under 
proper conditions of etiquette, at Gazzuolo (between 
the Mincio and the Po, near Mantua), where he had 
a palace. We may imagine the feelings of poor 
Maria, who found herself in disgrace with all her 
relations on account of this impossible husband of 
hers, and was only too thankful to leave Florence 
and take refuge at the Villa Castello. The only 
person of any comfort to her was the priest Fortunati, 
who never blamed the young wife or urged her to 
worry the culprit into submission, but was full of 
wise sympathy, and assured her that " our Giovanni 
will work out his own salvation, and all will be 
right in the end/ 3 

But meantime Maria spent weary days and sleep- 
less nights, and often sat up with her book or em- 
broidery until the early hours of the morning. On 
that night of the 18th of February, 1518, she had 
risen to throw some fir-cones on the dying embers 
of the fire when she was startled by the distant 
sound of an approaching horseman. She could not 
mistake that familiar tramp of hoofs in the plane- 
tree avenue, and in another moment she had caught 
up the silver lamp and, with hurried steps, had 
passed into the outer hall, that she might show a 
light to the benighted traveller. She knew who 
was coming, for no one else would arrive at that 
hour and in such furious, desperate haste. Her 
throbbing heart told her that it was her Giovanni, 
and that he brought evil tidings. But Maria Sal- 
viati had learnt wisdom through suffering, and she 
gave way to no wild outcry as she unbarred the 
door with trembling hands. 

In that moment of fearful suspense, the voice of 



DEFIANCE OF THE YOUNG PKINCE 83 

the master rang out to rouse the stable men, and 
she heard the sharp command : 

" Pietro, bring round my new Arab in half an 
hour, and make ready to follow me through the 
night, with four trusty men." 

Then a breathless and travel-stained man hurled 
himself into the dimly lighted hall. 

" I thought it was Fortunati who showed the light ! 
Why are you not asleep at this hour, Maria ? " he 
asked, in a tone of annoyance, as he turned to close 
and carefully bolt the door. 

" Tell me what has happened, my Giovanni \ " 
she gasped, in ever-growing dismay, as she threw 
her arms round her husband and drew him towards 
the inner chamber. 

" Give me wine and food ! " was the imperious 
demand. " There is no time to lose ; they may be 
already at my heels ! " 

Maria obeyed in silence. She fetched a pasty and 
white bread from the buttery, and poured out a 
tankard of red wine from a silver beaker. Not 
until he was refreshed did she dare to ask : 

" I implore you, Giovanni, hide nothing from me ! 
What is this new danger ? " 

" That coward Camillo will have to fight me now ! 
Listen, Maria ! The villain had the face to send two 
of his creatures into Florence to bear lying tales 
of me to my Lord Lorenzo. Before the assembled 
Council they called me a cut-throat, a boor, a mis- 
begotten hound. . . . Judge if it was not past 
endurance ! So I went this night with il Corsetto 
to their lodging at the Albergo del Guanto, in that 
little street leading to the Arno, behind the Palazzo 
Vecchio. We found the wretches in an upper 



84 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

chamber, and I gave them the lie in their throats 
and fought them. . . . Upon my soul, I scarcely 
know if I left them alive or dead . . . for my hand 
is heavy when I am roused. . . ." 

He paused, and the only sound which broke the 
dreadful stillness was a stifled groan from the girl- 
wife, who had listened with open-mouthed horror. 

" Cheer up, my good Maria ! The slanderers only 
got their deserts. Our horses were waiting in the 
street below and we made a dash for the Porta San 
Gallo. The Duke had given orders that no one 
should leave the city, and had sent extra guards to 
support all the door-keepers ; but you don't think they 
could stop me ? I knocked down the door-keeper 
and rode over Lorenzo's bullies, and here I am ! ' : 
He laughed with real enjoyment as the scene rose 
before him. 

" But what will you do now ? " Maria found breath 
to ask. " They will follow you, they will bring you 
to trial. . . ." 

" Of course they will if they can catch me ! I 
only hope my poor Corsetto is safe ; I saw him 
through the gate, but lost him in the darkness. 
Now, Maria, listen ! I go at once to the Strozzi at 
Ferrara, and write another challenge from thence 
to Camillo, which he cannot refuse in honour. 
You will send all that 1 need after me, for to-night 
we must ride light. Give me all the money you 
have in the house ; and if that is not enough, you 
have some jewels left," he added, with serene 
assurance that she would refuse him nothing. 

It was not the moment to tell him that, except 
for a few gold pieces which the devoted Fortunati 
had lent her only yesterday, the great Medici lady 



GIOVANNI TAKES REFUGE AT FERRARA 85 

was quite destitute. She gave him all the gold, and 
added a few unconsidered trifles : a pair of diamond 
earrings, a sapphire pendant, and a ring or two. 
One painful duty remained ; Giovanni felt that he 
must send an excuse to the Duke Lorenzo, and he 
wrote a brief letter, scribbled in haste, with big 
splashes for the letters and a signature like a plume 
of eagle's feathers. In this he solemnly protested 
that " his flight from Florence was only for the 
safeguard of his honour, for his arrest would have 
delayed the duel, which was more important to 
him than his life." 

After his departure, a terrible time of anxiety 
and suspense began for Maria and Fortunati. Al- 
though the offender was a young sprig of the reigning 
house, it was felt that, for the honour of Florence, 
there must be some sort of trial and sentence for so 
bold an outrage. Both the Pope and Duke Lorenzo 
required that the young condottiere should own his 
fault and make submission to them before they 
would exert themselves in his favour ; and in their 
help was his only hope. Fortunati and all the 
family tried to persuade him to be reasonable, and 
we can see why his poor wife wrote him the most 
imploring letters. 

" Most illustrious and honoured husband/' she 
dictated to the secretary Suasio ; " . . . I have sent 
your letter and mine by Messire Francesco Fortunati 
to the Duke, who was pleased with them and showed 
them to Monsignore Cibo and my father, and he 
said : ' If Giovanni does his duty ... I will not 
forsake him/ Therefore my Lord, I pray V. S.* 

* Vostra Signoria. 



86 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

to write at once to His Excellency and prove that 
your submission is in earnest and that you will obey 
him. Otherwise you may be certain that we shall 
be ruined and utterly hopeless. As I think of it 
my heart is breaking. ... If I cannot tru>t you 
in this, I shall die of despair. . . . And if you do 
not send me comfort at once, I will go to a convent 
in my distress, never to leave it again. I pray and 
supplicate and abjure you not to hasten thus to 
your own destruction and mine at the same time. 

" Now that there is a way of escape, I implore 
you to take it ; do not wait for another opportunity 
which may never come. My heart is breaking ; 
I do not know what will become of me. . . . Give 
some thought to our interests, for I promise you 
that they need it . . . and ever remember your 
distressed wife, who commends herself to you in 
tears." 

So much pressure was put upon Giovanni that at 
length he was induced to write a letter of submission 
to the Duke, dictated to him by Fortunati. 

" Most Illustrious Prince, my only Lord ; I hear 
that Your Excellency is going to France ; * and 
as I desire to consecrate myself entirely to your 
service, I pray you most earnestly to sutler me to 
accompany you. ... I also pray you to give me 
any punishment you think meet for the fault I have 
committed, although I must say that what I did 
was only to avenge myself for a great wrong. . . . 

* To marry Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, and to be Sponsor 
to the infant son of Francois I. 




Anderson, photo. Titian : Florence. 

CARDINAL IPPOLITO DEI MEDICI. 



87 



SENTENCE OF BANISHMENT 89 

I regret it from the bottom of my soul as I learn 
that Your Excellency was so deeply offended. . . ." 

It was not at all likely that the subtle, crafty Duke, 
already in ill-health, would take such a fiery wild 
companion as young Giovanni, yet his letter gave 
great satisfaction. The Duke Lorenzo's mother, 
Madonna Alphonsina, was very fond of the young 
culprit, and she wrote to Maria, who had retired to 
the Convent of St. Ursula, " that she was not to 
distress herself, for all would be well/' 

Giovanni was not likely to go wrong for want of 
good advice, as everybody loaded him with it, from 
the Pope downwards. A long and friendly letter 
arrived from Leo X. on February 26, in which 
Giovanni was commanded to come to Rome as soon 
as possible, and " the Pope would watch over him 
as a father." Meantime the exile had been enjoying 
himself very much at Ferrara, where he was treated 
with princely hospitality, and had some splendid 
hunting in that country so full of game. Maria 
again wrote to urge him to obedience to the Pope, 
declaring that if he failed, " she would be tempted 
to kill herself with her own hands." At the same 
time she asked " what was to be done with the dogs 
at Castello, for she was told they devoured three 
bushels of bread a day." 

At length Giovanni had made up his mind to go 
to Rome, by way of Siena. He wrote to have his 
swords sent to him ; also a surcoat of black satin 
damask, which had been left with an usurer in pawn 
for a ducat, and his steel gauntlets. 

It was on March 15 that his sentence was pro- 
nounced by the Council of Eight, after many weeks 

6 



90 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

of deliberation. Maria wrote to her husband a few 
days before to prepare him for it. She assured him 
that " the Duke loved him as a brother/' and she 
threatened to become a nun in reality if he did not 
obey the sentence. His father-in-law wrote : " Do 
not lose heart ; all this is done only to satisfy the 
public, and that we may be able to recall you better 
when the time comes/' The sentence of banishment, 
written in the prolix maze of Law Latin, amounted 
to this : " That Giovanni dei Medici, having com- 
mitted various misdemeanours, scandals, etc. . . . 
against right and justice . . . was to be banished 
from the City of Florence, and within ten miles of 
it, but he was to remain in the Florentine State . . . 
for the term of five years. . . ." A month of grace 
was allowed him before he had to announce his 
presence in the region set forth ; but after that, 
disobedience would entail the loss of his head and 
of all his possessions. 

In vain all his family tried to persuade him to 
accept these most lenient terms ; he gave them as 
much trouble as possible, and declared that he was not 
well enough to travel. However, he wrote to Maria : 

" Consorte me a. — Your letter tells me that you 
are well ; I am very glad to hear it. I beg you to 
send me two shirts and two tablecloths, and two 
cloths of doe-skin, and some of my sheets and a 
mattrass, and two salt-cellars and some cutlery, 
and at least six bowls, cups, and four dishes. That 
is all. I commend myself ever to you, and also to 
your father. Addio. March 19, 1518. 

" Your husband, 
" Giovanni dei Medici." 



SUBMISSION OF THE YOUNG REBEL 91 

At length there was great rejoicing because the 
young rebel had arrived, on May 4, within the limits, 
at his castle of Trebbio, twelve miles from Florence. 
In a letter of For tuna ti of this period, we find a 
touching little postscript which reveals, in a curious 
way, the deepest feelings of Maria Maddalena Romola, 
the modern wife, full of nerves and passionate affec- 
tion for her mediaeval husband. She was out of 
her element in that stormy age of arms and fighting, 
ever distracted by rumours of murders and battles. 

" P.S. May it please your Lordship to read this 
and keep it for your own eye. I cannot refrain from 
telling your Lordship of the words which his Maria 
has said to me ... as I asked her why she was 
still so sad and unhappy. She replied : 

' How can I take pleasure in anything when I 
see the life of my Giovanni always in peril ; when 
I never hear any one pass by or enter in, but the 
sound of footsteps is like a knife in my heart ? For 
I always imagine that bad news of him is coming 
to me. Why does he place his life in danger every 
day and night ? ... Is any young man in the 
world more fortunate than he is ? Could any evil 
come to him but by his own fault ? 

My heart is ready to burst whenever I think 
that, if he had any children, even if they were not 
mine ... I should not feel one third of this torture. 
For if adverse fortune came (from which God protect 
him !) what would happen ? Would there be any 
one to remember him and pray for his soul ? My 
heart is breaking when I think of it. . . / 

These words of Maria are of such importance, 
my Lord, that I dare not fail to repeat them to 



92 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

you. May your Lordship read them again and 
again; all his future ion, his peace, and his 

content, are contained therein." 

Was Giovanni touched by this confession ? In 
any case he had come back to Maria at the Trebbio, 
where he was out of the way of mischief and danger, 
and his thoughts were fully occupied with his out- 
door pursuits. He set to work at placing his pack 
of hunting dogs on the best footing, and on renewing 
his falconry. By a stroke of genius it occurred to 
him to win the Pope's favourite — the chief falconer— 
by sending costly presents of perfectly trained fal- 
cons, and especially sparrow-hawks of a rare breed. 
This step was so successful and gave Leo X. such 
extreme pleasure, that before the end of June the 
young Medici had received the long-coveted per- 
mission to go back to Castello for a fortnight — which 
really meant for an indefinite time. 

We next mid Giovanni at Viterbo, with his half- 
brother, Bishop Ottaviano, for whose illegitimate 
daughter, Cornelia — to whom Caterina Sforza had 
been so kind — he had to supply a dowry. It was 
a new occupation for him to arrange a marriage, 
and we find him writing to Maria : " Look out 
three or four likely husbands in Florence, and then 
we will choose/' 



CHAPTER VI 

Leo X. finds warlike employment for Giovanni — Birth of his son 
Cosimo — Great satisfaction of the Medici Pope — Giovanni in high 
favour at Rome — Letters of Maria to him — She makes sad 
complaint — His splendid training of his famous bands. 

Giovanni dei Medici was outgrowing, by slow de- 
grees, his turbulent boyhood, but idleness was always 
fatal to him, and during that winter of 1518 he 
caused much anxiety to his august family by his 
dissipation and the lawless company he frequented. 
The Pope at length understood that the only way 
to keep him out of mischief was to find him military 
employment, and with war already looming in the 
distance, he appreciated the value of this young 
leader, who was one in a thousand. In March 1519, 
Giovanni was appointed to a company of one hundred 
men-at-arms. He had never disbanded his best cap- 
tains and men, and he now devoted himself entirely to 
their thorough training. His reputation was steadily 
rising, and great nobles were anxious to send their 
sons to serve under him. He was known to have 
a violent temper, but his sense of justice and his 
marvellous intuition could always be trusted. 

One day he saw a Corsican soldier out of his place 
in the ranks. He put his hand to his sword and the 
Corsican looked him steadily in the face. " Are 
you coming to me, my lord ? If you approach, I 
kill you," he cried. Giovanni put his sword back 

93 



94 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

in the scabbard ; this audacity fascinated him. 
He admired the fearless rebel who defied him, and 
put him at the head of a company, choosing him 
to serve near his own person. Such adventures made 
him very popular with his men. 

The death of Duke Lorenzo, in April of this year, 
added much to the younger Medici's importance 
with Leo X. Lorenzo had carried out his visit 
to France with the utmost magnificence ; he had 
married a French princess and stood sponsor to the 
dauphin, but all the time his terrible illness was 
increasing, and the following spring he died in agony, 
six days after the death of his wife, who had given 
birth to an infant, only too notorious in the days 
to come, as Catherine dei Medici. Another event of 
far more importance to the young condottiere was 
at hand, for two months after the death of the Duke, 
Maria gave birth to a son, on June 12, 1518, in the 
Medici Palace on the Corso in Florence. The letter 
in which Fortunati announced the news to Giovanni 
is still extant. It was written and sealed up the 
night before, and the servant Toso, who rode post- 
haste with it to Rome, was to fill up the details by 
word of mouth. 

The great anxiety of Fortunati was to make the 
most of this propitious event, and if possible to 
induce " the Pope and all the Sacred College " to 
be sponsors for the precious boy ! He gives a long 
list of great ladies who, according to the custom 
of the day, were in attendance upon Madonna Maria ; 
he commends himself to His Holiness and to all 
the Salviati family, and urges his master to come 
as soon as possible to Florence as his wife desires 
to see him. " May God keep you in all happiness." 



BIETH OF HIS SON COSIMO 95 

Giovanni probably never paused to read the letter 
through. It was enough that he had a son. He 
hurried off at once to the Pope, full of the wonderful 
news. 

" Holy Father, I oSer as a present to Your 
Holiness my first-born son. I have this instant 
heard of his birth." 

We can imagine the broad smile which spread over 
Pope Leo's heavy face. Here was another Medici ! 

" My son, I accept the gift, and the boy shall be to 
me as my own child. But one thing I insist upon : 
he must receive the name of his ancestor Cosimo, 
the wisest and best of his race. Send back at once 
the messenger who brought the news, and announce 
that I give your son this name. The sponsors will 
be the Cardinal dei Rossi, and the Lord Malatesta 
Baglioni. See that a rich reward is given to him 
who has brought the good news." 

Toso hurried back to Florence with the message, 
and received a suit of armour, two good horses, 
twenty-five crowns, a new suit, and was promoted to 
the rank of light horseman. Bonfires were lighted 
on all the hills around Trebbio when the tidings 
reached the peasants, and from thence the joy-fires 
blazed onwards all over Romagna, from one hill-top 
to another, till the flames spread from the Mugello 
to the Adriatic. The more distant and mysterious 
became the cause of this rejoicing, the more splendid 
was its outward expression. 

Giovanni dei Medici was in no sense a family man, 
and he gave his wife and child very little of his 
company. While Maria watched over the cradle 
of the infant Cosimo, in her Florentine palace, and 
vainly hoped from day to day that she would be 



96 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

summoned to join her husband, he thought only 
of his horses, of his equipment, and of the training 
of his bands amid the hills and valleys of Ancona 
and the ancient Osimo, until these rough soldiers 
became under his hands like an exquisitely polished 
weapon, ready for any emergency. At Rome he 
made his home in the great Salviati Palace, and had 
the Papal pages under his charge. He received 
occasional pay from Leo X., but was always in 
grievous want of money, as we see only too plainly 
from the letters of Maria, who had other grounds of 
complaint. She writes to him on Xovember 12, 1519 : 

" Most Illustrious Lord, most honoured husband ; 
I received a letter from you on the 4th, in which I 
heard of your good health, which gave me great 
pleasure. Coshno and I are also well, thank God." 
Then follows a long list of complaints and, at the same 
time, repeated assurances of her love ; and she adds : 
" I think you know that you have left me without 
money, or coin, or anything ; ... all that you do 
is to ask for horses and I am to send you dogs . . . 
so that I have not a penny left. Here I want linen 
for sheets, as I have none left. ... I cannot spin 
thread out of myself. I have sent you two vests, 
two doublets and a surcoat, with two sachets of 
perfumed roses for your bed. . . . 

" I have nothing more to say only to commend 
myself to you, it is waste of time, I know . . . and 
as for little Cosimo I only wished you loved him 
more. ... If there is anything I can do for you, 
toll mo ; I would serve you much more than you 
would do for me ; it is that I love you so much 
more; that is all mv misfortune ..." 



GIOVANNI SEEVES THE POPE 97 

Poor little foolish loving Maria ; such letters as 
this did her no good. But she was so young still, and 
so lonely in her deserted palace ! She adored him 
at the same time as she worried him — in these pages 
still blotted with her tears. But time would mend 
all this ; Giovanni would be tempered and strength- 
ened by his great wars, and Maria would outlive this 
bitterness, in pride of her husband's splendid fame 
and in loving care of her growing boy. 

The Pope found it greatly to his advantage to keep 
Giovanni in his pay, both to defend the Marches and 
the dominions of the Church, which were always 
being attacked by brigands, and also to keep the 
impetuous youth away from Florence, which was 
now in the weak hands of the Cardinal Giulio dei 
Medici (the future Clement VII.). This puerile 
weaver of intrigues had already made his government 
ridiculous and everybody discontented. Meantime, 
Giovanni was fully engaged in protecting passes and 
frontiers, in asserting his absolute rule over the 
towns, and above all in keeping watch and guard 
over the rocky castles of the petty lords of the 
Marches. 

In this constant fighting, the young condottiere 
was troubled by no abstract sense of right or wrong ; 
he was in the service of the Pope, his kinsman, and 
all that concerned him was to carry out the com- 
mands of His Holiness and to conquer his enemies. 
With these bands, the number of soldiers was not 
too great to be always under the eye of their chief, 
but his constant difficulty was the pay, which was 
always in arrears. With any other leader, the 
men would have deserted, but they knew that he 
shared all that he had with them, and they remained 



98 THE EOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

faithful to him under every trial. He had an in- 
timate personal knowledge of each man, who could 
be quite sure that his valiant deeds — or the lack of 
them — would be justly weighed in the balance. 
Giovanni was quick to learn who were the brave men 
he could trust, and he promptly got rid of the others. 
One of his hardest contests was with Lodovico 
Ufireduci, the Tyrant of Fermo, and upon his utter 
defeat, the Pope promised his possessions to the 
victor. But Giovanni was destined to learn, by 
bitter experience, that there was no trust to be 
placed in the word of mitred priests or princes, for 
after many months of hope and negotiation he 
ultimately received six thousand ducats in the place 
of valuable estates ; and this was to cover all the 
expenses of his company as well as his own ! 

During all that summer of 1520, the young con- 
dottiere fought with desperate vigour ; pacified and 
fortified the unhealthy Marches ; was badly wounded 
and lost a finger of his right hand ; was laid up again 
and again with fever ; and varied his occupations 
with aggressive duels against the Orsini, tourna- 
ments at Mantua, and intrigues with the Roman 
Aspasias. He receives many letters from his Maria, 
tender and loving, and full of entreaties that he will 
come to Florence and see his Cosimo. She sends 
him a box of citron which she has candied herself, 
and she asks for permission to make a pilgrimage to 
Loreto, which he refuses, as she must stay at home 
to take care of the boy. Then he hears from Fortu- 
nati that his wife has been dangerously ill with a 
premature confinement, but she writes as soon as 
possible a pathetic little note to calm his anxiety. 

" Remember me, my very dear husband ; these 



HIS RECKLESS EXPENDITURE 99 

last days, by a sudden accident, I have found myself 
in such extremity that I never believed I should 
see you again ; thank God that I am now out of 
danger. . . ." Her only wish is to do what he 
desires ; and she ends with the humble request for 
a new cap with some gold trimming. 

Unfortunately Giovanni was at this time in great 
want of money, and his father-in-law, Jacopo Sal- 
viati, who had already lent him three thousand 
eight hundred gold florins, definitely declared that 
he could advance no more. " He had lent a large 
sum to his son the Cardinal ; he had married another 
son ; there was the dowry of another daughter, Alvise ; 
and with other enormous expenses, he could do no 
more for the husband of Maria." Leo X. promised 
much, and declared his warm affection for his warrior 
Medici, but his own personal extravagance was so 
great that he had not much for others, and courtiers 
always came first. 

During the latter months of 1520, little Cosimo 
was ill with fever at Trebbio, and made a slow 
recovery. His portraits as a child are charming, and 
seem to justify his mother's passionate admiration. 
She thought it wonderful that he could walk and 
talk at sixteen months old ; and she speaks of him 
as becoming "more beautiful and more delightful 
every day." Who could ever have believed that 
he would grow into that evil, sensual-looking prince, 
Cosimo I., Grand Duke of Florence ? 

During the winter the Pope kept Giovanni in 
Rome, for he was constantly engaged in disputes 
with great Roman nobles, such as the Colonna, the 
Orsini, and the Caetani, and needed his own con- 
dottiere at hand. In a letter written by the secretary 



100 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Francesco Suasio to Maria, we learn how her husband 
was amusing himself in January 1521. 

" Magnificent Lady, my most honoured mistress ; 
I commend myself to Your Excellency, and will 
tell you what happens. The Signor Giovanni is 
in very good health, and on Sunday evening he gave 
here a splendid repast to several Cardinals, Lords 
and gentlemen, amongst whom were the Cardinal 
Salviati and the Prior [Pietro Salviati]. And before 
the feast, there was a joust on horseback, which 
was indeed a fine sight. . . . And when the Holy 
Father heard of it, he commanded the Signor Giovanni 
to arrange another tournament in his presence*. . . . 
My Lord was Captain of one camp, in which were 
six cavaliers on horseback, thoroughly armed with 
swords in their hands . . . and after dinner, in the 
combat on foot, there were twelve in each camp, 
with pikes and swords, artillery, trumpets, and 
drums ; the most splendid spectacle ... so that 
all Rome is full of the highest praise of my Lord. 

" You should have seen him behave like another 
Csesar, so brilliantly did he fight, with blows of a 
paladin. And thank God, no one was hurt. ..." 

This last sentence must have given more satis- 
faction to the tender-hearted Maria than all the rest 
of the letter. 

The Pope delighted in these tournaments, which 
were only a passing relaxation to Giovanni, who had 
far more serious work on hand in the incessant 
training of his bands. They were already becoming 
famous and, from all parts of Italy, came applical ions 
from young lords of noble families to be permitted 



THE TRAINING OF THE FAMOUS BANDS 101 

to serve as captains under this leader of three-and- 
twenty. Men and officers alike had to pass in 
review before the stern, piercing eyes of the master. 
Those who pleased him had to begin their trial — a 
contest with experienced trained men, according to 
the rules of the service. Admission to his ranks, 
and the amount of pay, both depended on this first 
joust. Then came exercises under the supervision 
of Giovanni himself — the handling of arms and 
various manoeuvres on the field ; while in order to 
rise to a higher grade, a soldier had to fight against 
the leader in person. Then he had to defeat an 
enemy in a duel on horseback and on foot ; if he 
failed in these trials or showed any fear, he was 
dismissed at once. 

He required of his men absolute obedience and 
discipline, in great matters and small. A duel was 
to be limited to the two principals, and was not to 
be carried on by " seconds." To attack or insult 
one of his soldiers was to attack their chief, and he 
would risk his life at any time for their honour or 
safety. As we have seen, he could not do enough 
for his best captains ; he loaded them with presents 
and gave them a full share of his hunting and other 
sports. As Giovanni was rising to his high position, 
he kept by him men of learning and letters to write 
his agreements and make treaties with princes. 

The days were at hand when he would be called upon 
to prove the value of his companies in greater wars 
than the petty guerilla fighting in Romagna and the 
Marches of Ancona, where he had passed his ap- 
prenticeship. One great lesson he had learnt : that 
the heavy cumbersome armour of the Middle Ages, 
which needed massive horses, slow in their move- 



102 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

ments, must be entirely superseded by light, agile 
horsemen, protected only by strong, simple cuirasses 
worn over a coat of mail, and by closely fitting iron 
caps upon the head, instead of the gorgeous and 
elaborate helmets still worn for tournaments. We see 
examples of this fighting armour in the bust of 
Giovanni by San Gallo, in the Bargello at Florence, 
and in his portrait by Titian. And we are told that 
when he unbuckled his steel guard over the left 
shoulder, after a day's fighting, the flattened balls 
would fall out in a shower round him, for he was 
always in the forefront of battle, and led the way 
where dangers were thickest — ever the* first, the 
bravest, and the strongest of his men. Giovanni 
dei Medici was already called the " Condottiere of 
the Church," and he remained at Rome as much as 
possible during that last winter, when the intrigues 
of the Pope with his allies and his foes were slowly 
and surely paving the way for a great war. 

Meantime the young warrior went hunting with 
Leo X. in the Magliana and at Viterbo, and as he 
followed the dogs and the hawks, he learnt much 
of the aims and motives of his companion. It is a 
surprise to find him writing a letter to the ever- 
faithful Fortunati, in which he sums up the new 
experience which he has gained of this inner life 
of priestly Roman intrigue. 

" My priest, whom I honour as a father. ... I 
must tell you that you are an old-fashioned man, 
too credulous and ready to take for certain that 
which is more doubtful than the flight of a bird 
in the air. ... I should like to know on wliai 
you have founded your present belief . . . and the 



GIOVANNI AT HOME AND ABROAD 103 

hopes you give me. . . . Leave on one side, I pray 
you, my birth and divinations of any kind . . . and 
tell me plainly how these good things are to come to 
pass. . . . You must believe that at last I under- 
stand the ways and customs of the present day. 
All the same, I will not be bold or obstinate, and will 
change my mind if you show me, before long, the 
promotion and good fortune which you promised 
me. . . . How long I have hoped and waited for 
them, and up to this present time, only to my damna- 
tion and confusion. I do not believe that I have 
failed in my duty, and I will never fail, preferring 
that I should have reason to complain of others and 
of my ill fate, than that any one should have the 
right to complain of me." 

He saw others, far inferior, preferred before him 
even in military matters. Guido Rangone is put 
at the head of the infantry, and the young Federico 
Gonzaga, Marchese of Mantua, is made Gonfaloniere 
(Captain-General) of the Church. . . . Still there 
was one success for him ; in the great Roman palio, 
his horse won the prize. And at this there were fine 
rejoicings amongst his friends. One writes : " The 
Pope laughed with his mouth stretching from ear to 
ear, so hearty was his enjoyment." " And there were 
fees and ducats for everybody — trumpeters, drum- 
mers, carpenters, banner-makers, and many others, 
for V. S. may understand that I did the right thing 
and spared nothing." 

From the letters which he received at this time 
on the eve of the war, we see how Giovanni was 
looked upon as the head of his family, and with 
what vigilance he watched over it. Towards his 



104 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

eldest sister, Bianca Riario, who had been an ado] 
mother to him in his precarious childhood, he always 
showed the warmest affection. She writes to thank 
him for his sympathy in her bereavement, for she 
had just lost her husband, Count Troile of 
Secondo, and was left a widow with young Bona, 
in the midst of terrible neighbours. Against these, 
the warlike Giovanni was to prove a strong defence 
in the coming years. 

Then there was the illegitimate daughter of Otta- 
viano, Bishop of Viterbo, that young Cornelia to 
whom Caterina Sforza had been so kind. This 
young girl had been specially recommended to 
Giovanni by his mother, and we have seen how he 
helped to find a husband for her, not to mention 
providing a dowry. But she was an incessant 
beggar, never satisfied, and always finding some 
excuse to ask some provision for her children or fine 
clothes for herself ; while the young Medici's patience 
and generosity seemed untiring towards her. He 
was one of those who never forget a friend or forgive 
an enemy. 




Anderson, photo. Titian : Prado, Madrid. 

EMPEEOB CHARLES V, 



105 



CHAPTER VII 

Family life in the mountain Castle of Trebbio — Giovanni most 
successful in guerilla warfare — He distinguishes himself greatly 
in the war of Urbino — His exploits — Death of Pope Leo X. — 
Giovanni takes service with the French king. 

In the early summer of 1521 there was granted to 
Maria Salviati the desire of her heart, but it turned 
to dust and ashes, like the Dead Sea fruits. Her 
beloved Giovanni joined her and little Cosimo at 
Trebbio, only to complete his final preparations 
before taking part in the war. Yet even at that 
exciting moment, he was strangely considerate and 
even tender to his wife and two-year-old son, for 
time had ripened and tempered his dominant tempes- 
tuous nature. There was something about his 
absolute sincerity and unselfishness of devotion to 
the great work of his life, which won all hearts. In 
those last precious days Maria ceased to blame him 
or to worry about her household cares ; as she 
listened to his eager hopes and plans, she even tried 
to hide her distracting fears as, by his side, with 
fascinated gaze, she bent over the carefully drawn 
map of Lombardy, in which, like a true general, 
Giovanni was studying the scene of his coming 
battles. 

Raimondi writes : 

" . . . I send you Lombardy drawn out, that 
V. S. may study it at leisure in your chamber . . . 

107 7 



108 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

although this map is not very correct. There are 
excellent ones printed at Venice but not at Florence/' 

That " universal spider/' Leo. X., had at length 
openly joined the side of the young Emperor 
Charles V. against Francois I. Prospero Colonna, 
the imperial general, was already in the field, as 
were also the Marquess of Pescara and Marquess of 
Mantua, with their 20,000 foot soldiers, 1,200 men- 
at-arms, and 400 light horsemen. It was on July 7 
that Giovanni dei Medici wrote from his castle of 
the Trebbio : "At length we are on the point of 
starting ; this evening we shall be at Fiorenzuola, 
and to-morrow evening at Bologna." From here 
he was sent to Reggio, where he received his first 
letter from Francesco Guicciardini, who at that 
time was Governor of Bologna, and who knew what 
splendid work the young condottiere had already 
done in subduing those Marches. 

" You will find it necessary, in these days, to try 
and remain on friendly terms with the inhabitants, 
that you may not leave a number of enemies behind 
you. Take heed therefore that where your soldiers 
are quartered, they may pay for what they have, 
and avoid all acts of violence — such as I heard that 
your men began last night. Do not only use force 
but prudence, and this I know you will certainly do. 
I only remind you of this in a brotherly way, not 
alone for the general good, but for your own private 
honour/ ' 

While Prospero Colonna marched upon Milan, and 
Pescara went to Genoa, Giovanni found himseU 
still without pay for his soldiers (which may in part 



GUERILLA WARFARE 109 

excuse their violence), receiving contrary orders, 
and unable to do more than wait between Reggio and 
Bologna. But at length his opportunity came, for 
the passage of the French troops into the Duchy of 
Milan — after a fortnight's delay on the frontier — 
was considered a declaration of war, and Leo X. 
hurled his sentence of excommunication against 
Francois I. on September 4, 1521. Now began a 
series of skirmishes in that great plain of the Ghiar- 
adda, where the trained valour and marvellous 
swiftness of Giovanni's bands won for him supreme 
honour ; and especially in Florence and Rome, he 
was the hero of the campaign for his dauntless 
courage and unheard-of audacity. Some blamed the 
leader for thus constantly risking his life, but as his 
Secretary Suasio says : " You cannot at the same 
time remain in safety and acquire the reputation of 
a Hector/' 

We find him with his company of light horsemen 
at every post of danger, wherever honour is to be 
won at the point of the lance. He drove back the 
flower of the Venetians at Casalemaggiore, and on 
the banks of the Oglio ; and on October 4 he took 
from them forty light horsemen, men-at-arms, and 
banners. But it was above all at the siege of Parma 
that he made his mark. The French and their 
allies were getting the worst of it, especially when 
Cardinal Giulio and Mathias Schinner, the fierce 
Cardinal of Sion, led a body of Swiss against Milan, 
and persuaded those Swiss who were in French pay, 
to desert — said to be some 16,000 men. The French 
general Lautrec began to lose heart and could not 
defend his strongholds, which were only protected by 
their natural defences, the Po, the Oglio, and the 



110 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

A' Ida. It was at Vaprio that Giovanni performed 
one of his most gallant feats of arms, when, in order 
to turn the French Arm}', he threw himself in full 
armour into the Adda. He had learnt from his 
scouts that all the force of the enemy was centred 
near the bridge where the imperial army had to 
cross. Then he called two hundred of his picked 
light horsemen and said to them : ' The moment 
has come when I shall test the courage of those 
who love me ; let each of you take a foot-soldier up 
behind him and follow me." 

He was riding that splendid white Arab horse, 
Sultan — who was to survive him and never suffer 
another rider — and he turned his head towards the 
rushing torrent ; the noble animal leapt into the 
river and swam across, his master sitting firmly on 
the saddle with his lance at rest. 

He had already given orders for all available boats 
to cross with his foot-soldiers farther on, and now 
his heroic example won the day, for Odet de Foix, 
unable to bar the passage, was driven back upon 
Milan. We do not wonder that Giovanni dei Medici's 
fame was in every mouth ; " that he was exalted, 
praised, and adored M ; and that in Rome he was 
promised " great possessions and an honourable 
post/' This was the gallant paladin as we see him 
until the end ; but our man of antique heroic valour 
always made the mistake of despising, like Bayard, 
these new arms — this artillery which made all men 
equal before its murderous guns, and which was to 
take a fatal revenge upon both these noblest of 
mediaeval knights. 

The life of Giovanni bristles with adventure. 
He can leave no famous warrior unchallenged ; and 



A GALLANT EXPLOIT 111 

when, outside Parma, he meets lance to lance the 
great Gascon champion Carbone, he comes out 
victor in the combat and leaves his gigantic foe 
unhorsed and prostrate at his feet. But as his 
character ripens and his military genius attains its 
full height, the young condottiere becomes more 
merciful, in the spirit of true chivalry. When the piti- 
less Colonna would have hanged Cormo the Corsican, 
Giovanni pleads for his pardon, which is unwillingly 
granted. " To so valiant and reliable a captain as 
yourself, we must grant even unjust things," was 
the grudging reply. 

In^point of fact, Colonna and the other generals 
were jealous of this young Medici's splendid genius, 
which made his bands invincible and enabled him 
to perform such magnificent exploits. Thus he 
should have had the honour and glory of taking 
Milan, which his soldiers were the first to enter by 
the open flood-gates for the water drainage ; but 
the story was hushed up by envious cardinals and 
great lords. He was too great for them, and eclipsed 
every one else. Who but Giovanni could have been 
the hero of the following exploit ? 

As the army was moving towards Pavia, he set 
forth with a small company to scour the country, and 
as he crossed that vast swampy plain, he suddenly met 
a body of the enemy's light horsemen. Of course a 
skirmish began at once, and the Corsicans of his band, 
although in smaller force, did so well that the others 
were driven back. Giovanni pursued them with such 
energy that he was far ahead of his followers, when 
his horse slipped into one of the numerous ditches 
which divide the water-logged prairie. The animal 
made desperate efforts, but sank deeper in the slime, 



112 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

with his rider under him. when the flying enemy 
became aware of his evil case and returned to find 
Giovanni, in his heavy armour, struggling to free 
himself. In another moment he was surrounded, 
struck at on every side and hammered upon with 
battle-axes, while the air was full of cries that he 
should yield himself prisoner. With almost miracu- 
lous strength, the young knight freed himself from 
the weight of his horse and struggled to his feet. He 
seized his battle-axe in both hands " and the anvil 
became the hammer.'"' He struck out so hard and 
with such splendid endurance that none could stand 
before him and presently, his men arriving on hearing 
the noise, he was rescued and replaced in the saddle. 
That night his armour was the show and trophy of 
the whole camp, for it was beaten in and bumped 
everywhere with sword-thrusts and battle-ax^-. 

Only a few days before this, Giovanni dei Medici 
had heard from Fortunati, now promoted to be 
Apostolic Protonotary, that " the Pope was at La 
Magliana, with the Cardinal Salviati and all the 
Court ; they were having a most pleasant time and 
all were well.''' On November 24, Leo X. had 
received the joyful news of the entry of his troops 
into Milan, and Baldassare Castiglione, who was 
with him at the time, write- : 

" His Holiness said he was as much delighted u 
when he was made Pope ; and on the way to Rome 
all the people came out to meet and congratulate 
him, the children with olive-branches in their 
hands. . . ." 

The Pope was ill with fever, but ho forgot every- 



DEATH OF POPE LEO X. 113 

thing as good tidings came pouring in : first that 
Piacenza had fallen to his arms, and then that 
Parma also had surrendered — this last on the very 
day when the jovial, luxurious Pope was snatched 
away by death from his amusements and his intrigues. 
Was it poison or only the deadly fever of the 
Campagna ? remains one of the many unsolved 
problems of history. 

His young kinsman, Giovanni dei Medici, had very 
little to thank him for but disappointed hopes and 
broken promises yet, in his eager loyalty, the captain 
of those famous bands changed their banners and 
their shoulder-belts from the white and purple be- 
loved of the younger Medici, to the sombre black 
of mourning ; and henceforth he is known to fame 
as " Giovanni delle Bande Nere." 

Leo X. was dead. He had grasped the good 
things of life with both hands, and to do this had 
borrowed to an incredible extent, spreading ruin 
amongst his friends ; he even owed eighty thousand 
ducats to his own nephew, Cardinal Salviati. He 
had pawned everything in the Papal treasury, even 
to the tiaras and mitres, so that " never died Pope in 
worse repute." Pasquino declared that " Leo X. 
came to power like a fox, reigned like a Hon, and 
died like a dog." He was scarcely in his tomb 
before the princes of Romagna, who had been 
so cruelly wronged by him, asserted their rights 
successfully. Francesco Maria recovered Urbino, 
the Baglioni were reinstated in Perugia, and 
Sigismondo Varano in Camerino, while the smaller 
lords followed suit. 

The pontifical army was disbanded, and Giovanni 
dei Medici returned to Rome with the Cardinal 



114 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Giuliano. But Maria Salviati strained every nerve 
to find the money her husband required for keeping 
the pick of his bands in his pay. The burning 
question for him and every one else was : Who 
would be the new Pope elected by the Conclave ? 
It is not needful to repeat the well-known story of 
the extreme surprise which greeted the choice of 
Adrian, Cardinal of Tortosa, the Emperor's Viceroy 
in Spain, a pious old man, who most reluctantly 
accepted the greatness thrust upon him, and who 
was many months before he could even be persuaded 
to come to Rome. 

There was no chance in all this for Giovanni dei 
Bande Nere, and he at length entered the service of 
Florence in January 1522, and collected his scattered 
companies. He was in sole command of the ex- 
pedition against the Baglioni and the Montefeltro, 
in defence of the domains of the Church as well as 
those of Florence, and he greatly distinguished him- 
self in sieges and skirmishes. But he gave the 
Council of Eight no peace, for he required foot- 
soldiers, relays of stradiots, couriers ; he wanted 
everything, and at once. The fame of Giovanni 
and his bands spread on every side ; Charles V. was 
most anxious to know him, and it is quite possible 
that he hoped to win him over to the imperial 
service. But with all these princes, there were so 
many intrigues and so many difficulties that an 
honest soldier like the young Medici scarcely knew 
what to believe. From Florence he could get no pay 
for his companies, and he writes in despair, when at 
Perugia, that " he could not keep his men, who were 
famished and destitute . . . " ; but the Council of 
Eight continued to plead their poverty. Leo X. bad 



GIOVANNI JOINS THE FRENCH 115 

ruined Florence, and the Cardinal dei Medici still 
continued his exactions. It was absolutely neces- 
sary to pay the Swiss and the landsknechte or they 
would desert, and the Italians only came last, while 
there were even threats of reducing their stipend. 

This was more than Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
could endure. Already he was driven nearly wild 
by the crafty intrigues of the Cardinal Giulio who 
ruled everything for the mild Pope Adrian, and 
whose weak and treacherous policy was destined 
to bring ruin upon all that he touched. Giovanni 
was becoming disgusted with all the useless marches 
and counter-marches, the endless skirmishes and 
sieges where he risked the lives of his men one day, 
only to learn on the morrow that some trumpery 
peace or treaty had undone all his work. He had 
saved Florence at a critical moment, only to find that 
the enemies of yesterday, the Duke of Urbino and the 
Baglioni, were now to receive important posts and 
to be placed above him on the Papal side, when it 
was he who had borne all the labour and peril of 
the fray. His men were the first care of this ideal 
condottiere, and it was for their sake that he took 
a desperate step. 

On March 30, in the little town of Busseto, he 
announced at midnight to his soldiers that he 
had decided to join the French camp ; he left his 
bands free to follow or leave him. We are not sur- 
prised to know that the greater number set forth 
with their beloved leader early next morning, and 
took the road to Cremona, where a bridge of boats 
awaited them. One of his best captains had been 
bribed by the Marquess of Mantua to leave him — 
Paolo Luzasco, who was accompanied by several 



116 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

other gentlemen. But Giovanni proudly exclaimed : 
" I will show that it is I who have made Luzasco, 
not he who has added to my fame ; they shall see 
that I will make other captains to equal him." 

He crossed the Po below Cremona, and Du Bellay 
thus tells of his coming : 

" To this place near Milan (sixteen miles distant), 
Cassano d'Adda, where our camp was lodged, there 
came to the service of the King, the Lord Giovanni 
dei Medici, kinsman of the late Pope Leo, who 
brought three thousand foot-soldiers and two hundred 
horsemen, whose ensigns were black because they 
wore mourning for the said Pope Leo. . . ." 

Baldassare Castiglione wrote from Rome to the 
Marquess of Mantua : 

" The passing over of the Lord Giovanni dei 
Medici to the side of the French has caused much 
talk and displeasure. It is thought that a certain 
great person has seduced him by giving him to 
understand that he will be made ruler of Florence, 
and also that the Most Christian King will give him 
Imola and Forli." 

Giovanni was furious when he heard what was 
said about his accepting service under the King of 
France. He might be accused of anything else, 
but when he was spoken of as disloyal and failing 
in honour, he publicly gave the lie to his accusers. 

" By the trumpeter of the Sire Lautrec, I have 
heard that there are people who accuse me of a crime 
in joining the service of the Most Christian King, 



A DISASTROUS CAMPAIGN 117 

because I was bound to the Sacred Majesty of Caesar. 
I therefore make it known to every person who is 
my equal in rank, and who asserts that I have done 
wrong or that I had any obligation whatsoever, of 
faith or of pay, with the Majesty of Caesar — that he 
has lied and lies as often as he says it, and will lie 
as many times as he repeats it ; and this I will 
maintain with arms in my hand, every time that I 
have occasion to do so. 

" Given at Misano, April 19, at the Royal Camp. 

" Signed : Giovanni dei Medici. 
" (With his own hand.) " 

In point of fact Giovanni was perfectly justified 
in taking service where he thought fit. But this 
was a disastrous moment for joining the French 
troops, who were under the command of the in- 
capable and cruel Lautrec, and all the splendid 
courage and skill of Giovanni and his bands could 
not make up for the blunders and hopeless ineffi- 
ciency of the French general. One town after 
another was lost, and he met with a crushing defeat 
at the Bicocca, near Milan, where he had yielded 
to the demand of the Swiss for " battle or pay/' 
The mercenaries who survived, retreated sulkily 
across the passes of the Alps, and the French were 
driven to retire from Lombardy, with nothing left 
to them save the citadels of Novara, Cremona, and 
Milan. 

Giovanni had made a great stand for his men at 
Cremona, when he found that the city was to be 
given up by some intrigue, and Lescun, who was 
with him, had much difficulty in preventing a com- 



118 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

plete revolt. The young Medici proudly told the 
French commander that he had just cause for 
offence. 

"... I cannot suffer this flagrant iniquity, to 
finish the war with clandestine agreements, which 
will disband my men at once without the pay which 
is due to them. As long as I live I will defend the 
cause of my soldiers ; I will not endure that they 
shall be deceived and cast out by any one in the 
world, and that they shall be sent off in utter desti- 
tution, clothed in rags and weakened with wounds. 
I place my true honour and my true glory in de- 
fending from injustice these most valiant soldiers, 
who have followed my fame. . . ." 

This and much more he said, in such a terrible 
voice, that Lescun hastily collected all the money 
he could find, borrowed silver plate from the gentle- 
men in his camp, and distributed everything 
amongst the formidable Black Bands, who appear 
to have been satisfied for the moment. 

When the campaign was over Giovanni had learnt 
his lesson ; he saw that there was as much cheating 
and dishonesty towards the condottieri in the service 
of the Most Christian King, as he had met with 
from the Holy Father, and had heard of under the 
standard of the " Sacred Majesty of Caesar/' For 
his part he had but one object in life : to be an 
honest merchant of great deeds ; to sell the splendid 
fighting capacity of his men, and to see that they 
were well paid. His business had terrible risks — for 
instance, peace was ruin to lii^ bands. His life* 
would probably be a short one, but if lie survived. 



GENEROSITY TO HIS SISTER BIANCA 119 

he trusted to gain some little state where he would 
end his days on the footing of a real prince. 

This was what Maria prayed for during the long 
months when she remained without news and with- 
out letters from her absent husband, constantly 
overshadowed by the dread of some sudden calamity. 
She wrote to him as often as the opportunity arrived. 

"... You see that if we send letters to each 
other it is rinding a means to talk in absence . . . 
cut off from your dear intimacy, which is refused to 
me, what can I do but write to you ? " 

There is a letter of hers on May 18, written to the 
secretary, Francesco Albizzi, in which she asks for 
" a dozen pairs of ladies' gloves in calf, and they 
must be good and handsome ones ; quite different 
from those sent by Ser Bencio, which were bad and 
ugly, and gave me no satisfaction." Poor lady ! 
She needed an outlet for her feelings in this way, 
now and then, when she found that she had not 
really a pair of decent gloves to wear, that last sign 
of refinement and distinction. Now that the French 
had retreated from Italy, her one hope was for the 
return of her warrior husband, but she had to wait 
for awhile. 

In the summer of that year, 1522, Giovanni found 
leisure to attend to the affairs of his sister Bianca 
and to repay her, in princely fashion, for her devotion 
to him as a child. This is the story as it is given 
by a son of hers, Giovanni Geronimo, who became 
Bishop of Pavia. 

" Bianca, the sister of Giovanni dei Medici, 



120 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

had been left a widow with many children, and 
was seriously molested by the behaviour of her 
kinsman Bernardo dei Rossi, who was in high favour 
with Pope Leo. While the army was near Parma, 
His Holiness had decided that the estates which she 
possessed in that neighbourhood should be taken 
from her. But when the Signor Giovanni heard 
of this resolution, he took possession on her behalf 
of all the castles which belonged to her, saying : 
( I should like to see who will come and take them 
from me ! ' And when he was himself at San 
Secondo,* a strong fortress with good rents be- 
longing to it, his Corsican Geronimo said to him : 
' My lord, you are poor and have nothing ; why do 
you not keep these castles for yourself, and send 
your sister home ? ' ' Never speak to me again 
like this, if you value your life ! ' was the stern 
reply. ' I care for my sister and my nephews more 
than anything else in the world. If I live, I shall 
not want for castles like this and greater still ! ' 

This kind of guerilla war found some occupation 
for his men, while he was in negotiation with the 
French and the Papal authorities. On June 3 he 
arrived at San Secondo with two thousand men, and 
sent word to Guicciardini, the Governor of Parma, 
that he only wished to help his sister. He seized 
the artillery of Filippo dei Rossi, who was supporting 
the Bishop of Treviso, and then he passed onwards 
along the banks of the river Toro and through the 
ravines of the Cervellino to the little town of Berceto f 

* North-west of Parma, between the Taro and the Po. 
\ Near Fornovo. 



PROTECTION FOR BIANCA AND HER SONS 121 

on the slopes of the Apennines. Before the middle 
of Jnne, Giovanni had taken from the Count Filippo 
dei Rossi the strong castle of Brissaga, and hence- 
forth Bianca and her sons could enjoy their pos- 
sessions in peace. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Letter from Maria — Time of peace, in which Giovanni looks after his 
estates — Pope Adrian VI. — Giovanni at Aulla in the Lunigiano — 
An unwelcome neighbour — The Medici Pope Clement VII. elected 
— Maria seeks his favour for her husband and son — Giovanni 
returns to the imperial and Papal side in the following war. 

The summer of 1522 was already far advanced, and 
Maria Salviati was still awaiting the coming of her 
husband in his favourite castle of the Trebbio. She 
had recently sent this letter to him at Bologna, 
where he was engaged in buying corn and arranging 
affairs concerning his estates with his new bailiff 
Suasio : 

" . . . Every one, Cosimo and all the household, 
are all quite well/' she wrote with her own hand. 
" His Excellency the Marquess of Mantua, as he 
was posting towards Florence, deigned to pay me 
a visit here with Messire Paolo Luzasco, in order 
that he might embrace Cosimo ; he could not make 
enough of him, which I thought very amiable and 
charming of him. We received him with all suitable 
welcome, yet he would not consent to lodge here. 
His coming was pleasant to me ; that of your Lord- 
ship will be extremely pleasant to me ; may God 
grant that it may be soon and that you will arrive 
in health and good fortune. 

" At the Trebbio, August 19, 1522. 

" Your good ' Consorte.' M 

122 




Brogi. photo. Yasari : Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. 

MARIA SALVIATI, WIFE OF GIOVANNI DELLE BANDE NERE. 



123 



COSIMO AND HIS FATHER 125 

Maria gives a cheerful account of this flying visit, 
which must have been an anxious and trying time 
for her. It was impossible for the wife of the captain 
who had lately been fighting against the young 
marquess to feel otherwise than doubtful of his real 
feelings, while as to Luzasco, who had thrown off 
all allegiance to the master who had trained him, 
she felt very bitter in her heart against him. But 
now, as she looked forth from her tower chamber 
towards the winding mountain road which led from 
Bologna, and strained her eyes across the rugged 
Mugello, she saw another cavalcade approaching, 
and by the black banners she knew that her con- 
dottiere was close at hand. We can picture to 
ourselves Maria's eager joy, and her wistful anxiety 
that little Cosimo should appear at his best after his 
father's long absence, as they hastened down to the 
great entrance gate to meet him. 

The tender mother must have remembered that 
other day, two years before, when Giovanni returned 
to the Palazzo in the Corso at Florence, with his 
warlike escort and the same tramp of horses' hoofs 
and blowing of trumpets. He had looked up at the 
window where the nurse held the child, and had 
cried, in tones which resounded through the narrow 
street : " Throw him down to me ! " while he smiled 
with encouragement and love at his little son. 

The woman dared not obey, the window was so 
high. ' Throw him down to me, I command you ! " 
roared the voice of the man who had never brooked 
resistance. 

Then the poor nurse had closed her eyes, dropped 
the boy, and in another moment, Cosimo was caught 
in his father's outstretched arms and clasped against 

8 



126 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

the steel cuirass. The child had neither screamed 
nor struggled, and Giovanni, proud of such fear- 
lessness, stooped down to kiss him, and murmured : 
" You shall be a prince ; that will be your fate." 

Giovanni delle Bande Nere had come back to 
Trebbio in a new character, for during those autumn 
months of 1522, we find him living like a country 
gentleman, looking after his estates, taking pos- 
session of all the account-books, seeing to the manage- 
ment of everything, calculating the harvests and 
the returns. He saw the corn gathered in and took 
part in the vintage ; he taught little Cosimo — now 
a boy of three — to ride his pony, and the heart of 
Maria rejoiced to hear once more the horn of the 
huntsmen and the barking of dogs, ringing through 
the rough valleys of the long silent Mugello. 
We find the famous condottiere apparently satisfied 
by this peaceful home life with his wife and child, 
but it was impossible that this could last long. 

After all, he was a general out of work, and this 
interval of peace was ruin to the Black Bands. 
At the opening of the new year he was quite ready to 
go to Florence, where Cardinal Giulio wanted him 
at hand, to keep in check the many enemies he had 
made by his weak and vacillating intrigues. Then 
came the plague, and Giovanni went to Rome with 
Maria and Cosimo. He had met with nothing but 
deception and disappointment on every side, but he 
was still carrying on negotiations with Francois I., 
who had promised him Imola and Forli, and with 
Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, who was anxious 
to obtain his services. As soon as the Bpring came, 
he sent his wife and child back to Trebbio, where the 
air was purer, as there was always danger of the 



FESTIVE LIFE AT REGGIO 127 

plague breaking out again in the Eternal City, which 
it had ravaged the previous autumn. He himself 
went to Reggio, where the greater part of his bands 
had wintered, and in their constant training and 
exercising, he had at least the illusion of war, and he 
would be ready for the first chance of active service. 

Guicciardini had returned as Governor, to the 
great satisfaction of the people of Reggio and the 
neighbourhood, who had suffered much from the pre- 
sence of the bands, although Giovanni would not 
allow any insubordination when he was with them. 
A period of peace was never good for this young 
Medici ; he was surrounded with gay companions, 
and, we are told, lived in great extravagance and 
" freedom of morals." Maria is asked to send him 
rich satin, fine linen, and other costly items ; but 
she replies, at her wits' end : " I have none to send 
you, as I have already told Pietro ; when I am richer, 
I shall be able to help you better." 

We hear much of the festivities at Reggio, when 
Giovanni's niece — Angela dei Rossi, the daughter of 
Bianca, who was about to marry Vitello Vitelli — 
passed through the town on her way to the citadel 
of the Vitelli, at Citta di Castello. The young 
leader of the Black Bands feasted the whole town, 
and received the Lady Angela with splendid enter- 
tainments ; while there were jousts and tourna- 
ments on foot and on horseback for many days, 
amongst his soldiers in her honour. 

" My lord, is all this for your niece or for your 
lordship ? " asked a friend one day. Giovanni 
burst out laughing, and replied : "In truth the 
niece is the first cause of it, but perhaps you are 
right about the second cause ! " 



128 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Giovanni was not so much absorbed in his pro- 
on as not to be very human in every way. He 

delighted in feasts and amusements of every kind, 
and above all in merry and witty companions. He 
was a man who could not endure solitude at any 
time, and in this year, 1523, he renewed his acquaint- 
ance with the talented, notorious Pietro Aretino, 
who remained, till the end, his closest and most 
intimate friend. Aretino was one of those clever 
satirists — I might almost say buffoons — who had 
been in such high honour at the Court of Leo X. 
They were often usefully employed as ambassadors 
between princes, for a suggestion might at times be 
made in jest, which no one would venture to put 
formally. Aretino, under the disguise of Pasquino,* 
had said so many witty things in ridicule of the 
newly appointed Pope Adrian, that he had to take 
refuge with Cardinal Giulio at Florence before the 
good old Pope actually arrived in Rome. Adrian 
was so indignant at the biting remarks of Pasquino 
that he wanted to throw the old torso into the Tiber, 
but he was told that it was useless to try and drown 
him, for, " like a frog, he would talk out of the 
water." 

We are not told whether Aretino arrived at Reggio 
in time to take part in that wild adventure of young 
Medici when he rode through the pottery market, 
with his huntsmen and his pack of hounds, smashing 
up everything like a barbarian, and paying for the 
broken pots and pans like a prince. In any case 
the clever man of letters was able to help him in 
a lawsuit which he was carrying on in connection 

* A mutilated statue in Rome, on vrhose pedestal \uvv potted witty 

criticisms of passing events. 



GIOVANNI BUYS A CITADEL 129 

with Aulla, a citadel which he had bought for him- 
self when he was fighting to help his sister Bianca 
in the Lunigiana. It is a great feudal stronghold, 
perched up on a rocky height in the Ligurian Apen- 
nines, and he had been attracted by the wild beauty 
of the spot, where the torrents of the Taro and the 
Magra join that of Aulla ; and also because of the 
strong position of this castle, the key of a valley which 
leads from the Mediterranean coast to the defiles 
of Tuscany. 

It is not at all surprising that all the neighbouring 
chieftains were up in arms at the prospect of having 
the redoubtable Giovanni delle Bande Nere estab- 
lished in their midst. This was more especially the 
case with the Malespini, who had formerly been 
lords of Aulla ; and, besides harassing him perpetually, 
they brought a lawsuit against him in the court of 
Pisa, disputing his title deeds. The Duke of Ferrara 
felt uneasy about the Garfagnana, and Genoa was 
anxious about Sarzana, with Giovanni so near at 
hand ; and the Sire of Monaco, Grimaldi — a Corsair 
by descent and custom — pillaged the boats which the 
Black Bands used to reach the sea — taking the short 
way, only twelve miles by river, instead of the long 
mountain road. Giovanni challenged the Grimaldi, 
but Cardinal Giulio managed to avert a duel ; how- 
ever, the young condottiere had his fill of fighting 
with most of his neighbours, who had to pay big 
ransoms ; while the rocky fortress of Aulla was always 
a handy refuge for the Black Bands. 

It was about the time of Aretino's coming to 
Giovanni that we first hear of Luca Antonio Cuppano, 
who had been the personal attendant of his master, 
and had then been trained in the famous bands, 



130 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

where he so greatly distinguished himself that he 
became a great favourite. However, he still had 
other duties besides fighting, as we see in a letter 
to him from Maria Salviati. 

" . . . I remind Messire Luca Antonio that I want 
first, two large fans and half a dozen boxes of civet ; 
and have two gold caps made for me of the kind 
used in Mantua, and four pairs of dark tan-coloured 
cuffs, of the kind worn at Reggio. And if you do 
not know how to buy the lining for the cuffs, ask 
Signora Camilla, who will be able to tell you. . . . 
I want also two hoods of brown silk in the Reggio 
fashion, and if you have good amber, send me some 
. . . and some musk. Send me these things as soon 
as you can, when you have money, and commend 
me to the Master. That is all. May God keep you 
from harm. 

" July 15, 1523. 

" Buy a poignard for Cosimo. 

" PJB." (pinned on to the letter). " Have made for 
me a gold chain for Cosimo of 4 or 5 ducats, and a 
gold medal for Cosimo. You will have all this made 
as soon as you have any money ; that is all. 

" Maria Salviati dei Medici/' 

It is satisfactory to know that the precious little 
prince received his poignard, his chain, and the gold 
medal for his cap. When Maria wrote this letter, 
she and the boy were away at a farmhouse in the 
mountains, " in search of coolness," for that rammer 
was intensely hot and very unhealthy. The great 
lady could not do her own shopping in the mountains, 
but she evidently trusts that the scents and other 



RETURN TO THE IMPERIAL SIDE 131 

things she asks for will be sent " when there is 
money." News must certainly have reached her of 
Giovanni's extravagant living at Reggio — where he 
remained during those sultry months — when he was 
not engaged in his lawsuit, his incessant contests, 
and a fresh difficulty which had arisen about the 
estates of Uffreducci, so grudgingly bestowed on 
him by Pope Leo, and of which the gift was now 
disputed by the Apostolic Chamber. 

But all personal matters were soon forgotten in 
the rumours from beyond the Alps of coming war. 
Once more the fatal mirage of conquest in Italy was 
to lead the French King, like a will-o'-the-wisp, to 
invasion and disaster. The league formed against 
him was very powerful. The imperial army, sup- 
ported by the peace-loving Pope Adrian, almost all 
the states of Italy, including Milan under Francesco 
Sforza, and the fleet of Genoa ; also the King of 
England and the Archduke Ferdinand. At the head 
of the league was the old general Prospero Colonna, 
long past his prime. 

Giovanni delle Bande Nere returned to the im- 
perial side, in the service of Francesco Duke of Milan, 
by whom the contract signed is still in existence, 
dated August 26, 1523, at Trezzo on the Adda, where 
the Duke had gone to escape the plague at Milan. 
Giovanni was to have under him a company of 
200 men-at-arms, about 300 light horsemen with the 
1,200 attendant soldiers, and 2,000 foot-soldiers ; and 
he specially insists on his band of twenty-five chosen 
and highly paid captains, in immediate attendance 
upon himself. But all the important posts in the 
imperial army were given to inferior leaders, and the 
best soldier amongst them all was not satisfied. 



132 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

" You have served me badly in this contract," 
he said to those who had drawn it up. He was 
constantly harassed by the Malespina ; he wanted 
money at once for his artillery and his horses — those 
light Arabs who were so essential to him. He writes 
to his bailiff Suasio : 

" . . . Search all over the castle at the Trebbio, 
under the beds and everywhere, and also in the 
arsenal, and see if there are not several great pieces 
of artillery, short ones in bronze and metal ; look 
for them well . . . and if you do not find them 
there, seek for them at Florence and at Castello, 
everywhere, all you can find, and send them to me 
at once by express. Do not fail. 

" Reggio, August 20, 1523." 

The ardent condottiere rides incessantly over 
those burning roads of Lombardy, from Milan to 
Reggio, scouring the country for men ; and the tertian 
fever attacks him, again and again, as he rides 
post-haste, night and day, without drawing rein. 
His great care is always for the pay of his men, which 
he attempts to make " fixed and certain," that they 
may never be in want or distress. 

The French Army, which had climbed the passes 
of the Alps, was commanded by Bonnivet, and con- 
sisted of 1,500 of those famous men-at-arms and 
25,000 foot-soldiers — French, Italian, Flemish, and, 
above all, Swiss, under their leader Jean de 
Diesbach. Bayard fought in the French Army with 
his friend Jean de Chabannes and, amongst other 
famous captains, Renzo da Ceri, who had recently 
distinguished himself in the victorious defence of 



DEATH OF POPE ADEIAN VI. 133 

Marseilles. On the very day when Bonnivet crossed 
the Ticino, Pope Adrian VI. died, broken-hearted 
at his failure to reform the Church and to join all 
Christian princes in a crusade against the Turks, 
instead of this suicidal war. Poor man ! "He 
thought nothing more unfortunate in his life " than 
his high dignity, and he was hated in Rome for his 
very virtues. After a Conclave of fifty days another 
Medici was to be elected — the Cardinal Giulio — 
henceforth the crafty and treacherous Clement VII. 
But much was to happen first. His young kins- 
man, Giovanni delle Bande Nere, was to add to his 
fame until he and his bands were always placed in 
the forefront of danger, and became the mainstay 
of the imperial army. While the French troops 
closely besieged Milan, provisions were desperately 
needed in the city ; Giovanni made a sortie, and was 
attacked by a company of the unrivalled French 
men-at-arms. First he harassed them, then feigned 
a retreat and drew them into an ambush, where they 
were all taken or killed. " He never rests, that 
gallant man ! " says a Venetian captain. In fact, he 
almost supported alone the terrible burden of that 
devastating siege, where famine always stared the 
defenders in the face, the water-mills were destroyed, 
and the only hope was in the successful sorties and 
brilliant skirmishes of the Black Bands. Prospero 
Colonna was dying, treachery had more than once 
to be put down with a fierce hand, and at length all 
the useless mouths had to be turned out of Milan. 
Fortunately for the imperial cause, the French 
Army suffered greatly from the snows and the cold 
damp of those Lombard plains, and began to retire 
across the Ticino — just at the time of the great 



134 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

triumph of the Medici in the election of Clement VII. 
on November 14. 

Whilst Giovanni fought and suffered in the armv 
of the Church, always in deadly peril, and too often 
on the brink of starvation, his wife Maria appears 
to have been suddenly aroused to a keen sense of 
the position. The news spread like wildfire that 
a Medici once more sat on the Chair of St. Peter, 
and Florence was wild with rejoicing. While the 
bonfires flamed and the church bells rang out peals 
of gladness, the devoted Fortunati held deep counsel 
in the Palace on the Corso with his noble lady. 

" We must lose no time, Madonna/' he cried. 
" Already the race for place and preferment has 
begun. Ridolfi has applied for the Archbishopric of 
Florence ; your brother Giovanni will go as Legate 
to Bologna ; the Riario brothers are claiming help ; 
and the two Medici bastards, Ippolito and Ales- 
sandro, have arrived in Rome/' 

Maria needed no spur to action. Her passionate 
love as a wife and a mother had already kindled in 
her an eager subtle intelligence with regard to their 
interests. 

" I understand ; I see it all, my father/' she 
replied. " We have been patient too long, and 
Giovanni thinks of nothing but his soldiers and his 
fighting. Remember Pope Leo, who promised us so 
much and did so little. If he had only lived longer, 
he might have done more . . . but we will run no 
risk this time, that I swear ! You and I will write a 
letter to this Pope Clement, and he shall know what 
we expect of him ! " 

The long-suffering Maria was roused indeed, and 
the broad, genial face of the old priest beamed with 



ANOTHER MEDICI POPE, CLEMENT VII. 135 

delight, for his pupil had outrun him in her enthu- 
siasm. He got ready pen and paper and sat down 
to write at her dictation the famous letter which 
bears witness to this day of her new energy and 
determination. 

" Gesii Maria. 

" Most Holy Father, and your Most Clement 
Highness. I am quite certain that by the favour 
of Your Holiness I shall be less exposed to my 
usual difficulties . . . but the longer I wait, the 
more trouble Your Holiness may have. In conse- 
quence, with humble respect I entreat that you will 
condescend to free my Lord and husband from the 
many debts and engagements by which he is at 
present overwhelmed ; in order that they may not 
devour entirely the little which is left to him. For 
unless Your Holiness interferes, there is no means 
by which he can be set free. Thus I devoutly implore 
Your Holiness will take it in hand ; being well 
assured that the means of delivering my husband 
will not fail You, without much trouble and incon- 
venience — either by means of the salt duties or the 
customs, or by any other way which You may prefer. 
And I shall be never weary of praying God for your 
salvation, remaining for ever Your slave, with my 
dear son. At the most holy feet of Whom, I very 
humbly commend myself. 

" Florence, December 5, 1523. 

" Of Your Holiness the slave and the daughter, 
" Maria Salviati dei Medici." 

This was only the first move in the game which 
the determined young princess was to carry on with 



136 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

so much success in later years. But her chief diffi- 
culty was to induce her husband, the honest and 
outspoken soldier, to take his part. She wrote him 
a letter for the New Year in which she implored him 
" not to go to sleep over all those affairs over there, 
when the important matter was to win the favour 
of the new Pope " ; and she added that she believed 
" he was kept at the seat of war that he might be 
out of the way." . . . "In the days of Pope Leo, 
every villain had something . . . only we were 
left out ! " 

We can imagine Giovanni receiving this letter 
in the besieged city of Milan, when his soul was 
entirely filled with sorties and skirmishes, when he 
was the most trusted general of Duke Francesco, 
and when the great Charles de Bourbon was sending 
him admiring letters, offering his support and friend- 
ship. Yet he became really interested in the matter, 
when he heard, a little later, that Maria's bold move 
had been successful. Clement VII. was most 
gracious ; he sent little Cosimo twenty ducats for 
a pony early in January ; then a present of two 
hundred ducats for Maria herself in March ; and 
four ducats more for a gallant equipment of Cosinio's 
pony. All this was so encouraging that Madonna 
was persuaded by Fortunati to push her advantage 
still farther, and she decided to take her little prince 
to Rome, that he might be kept well in sight, that he 
might grow in the Pope's favour and receive a settled 
position worthy of his rank and near kinship to the 
priestly giver of good things. 



CHAPTER IX 

Maria Salviati at Rome — She and Cosimo in high favour with 
Clement VII. — Giovanni greatly distinguishes himself against 
the French, who retreat over the Alps — Peace is fatal to the Black 
Bands and to their condottieri — Pietro Aretino joins Giovanni — 
Francois I. invades Italy. 

It was a moment of triumph for Maria Salviati, 
when at length all her preparations were made and 
the day was fixed for her journey to Rome. This 
important move had been encouraged by all her 
friends, and more especially by the Pope himself, 
who had graciously promised that when the Lord 
Giovanni could return from the wars, he should 
receive there a beautiful palace, at present occupied 
by the Portuguese Ambassador. 

It was in the midst of a violent storm of rain and 
wind that the Medici princess, with her little son 
Cosimo and an escort of twenty cavaliers, amongst 
whom rode the good priest Fortunati — who had with 
difficulty been persuaded to join them — at length 
reached Rome on the evening of February 27. The 
weary travellers were received with the warmest 
welcome at the palace of the Salviati, where they 
were to take up their abode. Jacopo and Lucrezia 
Salviati could not make enough of their daughter 
and grandson, and the family circle was made com- 
plete by the Cardinal Giovanni and the Priors Pietro 
and Bernardo, all radiant with delight at seeing 

137 



138 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

the triple crown once more on the brow of a Medici. 
Surely now the good times would come, and they 
would all bask in the sunshine of prosperity ! 

In the familiar atmosphere of home affection, 
and under the care of the honourable and important 
Salviati, beloved of Popes, and of her mother Lucrezia 
— who had made so brave a fight for the advancement 
of all her children — Maria would have a comforting 
sense of rest and peace, such as she had not known 
for years. They would prove a strong tower of help, 
and all would be well. It was a most happy omen 
that the very next day Pope Clement sent for little 
Cosimo, and the handsome prince of four years old 
won golden opinions, and was " much caressed by 
His Holiness.'" Maria was invited to an audience 
at the Vatican on the morrow, and, like a warrior 
preparing for battle, she set herself to read once more 
the letter which she had received from her husband 
at the moment of leaving Florence. 

" Carissima Consorte, — 

" Although the horse I was sending you 
has unfortunately gone lame, do not let that 
interfere with your journey to Rome, which I much 
desire. ... I am glad you will be at your Salviati 
Palace. 

" When you have arrived in Rome, go as soon as 
you can to the feet of His Holiness, and according 
to the words which occur to you at the moment, you 
will commend me to His Holiness ; you will make 
him understand what you know of my condition, and 
how I have been, and still am, in the service of the 
Lord Duke, and in this enterprise at the expense of 
His Holiness ; also that I am not a man to fail in 



APPEAL TO POPE CLEMENT VII. 139 

doing all that is possible for the honour of our house. 
Truly, I am overwhelmed with expenses, and have 
been badly paid for a long time : as His Holiness well 
knows for I have complained many times by letter. 
I know well that Our Lord does think of my affairs, 
present and to come, and that he has told the Lord 
Duke, here at Milan, that he is to pay my expenses 
by giving me an estate bringing in six or eight 
thousand ducats ; which if I had, it would be a 
great thing ! ... It is not that I make unreasonable 
demands, but I am thinking of a revenue which 
would prevent my being always on the point of 
dying of hunger, and always on the gridiron. I 
cannot reduce my expenses, for he that would have 
influence with his soldiers, is absolutely compelled 
to spend. You are wise . . . and you well know 
what I want. I only aspire to receive from His 
Holiness enough to live like my equals ; as for honour, 
I will win that by arms. In short, His Holiness must 
act so that I can live, and that I may have a firm 
and stable position so that my descendants may 
enjoy it, without having always to live in terrible 
anxiety. 

" You will be on the spot, and you will see from 
day to day, where and how, you can find means of 
speaking. Therefore behave wisely and prudently, 
and do not share the secret of our troubles with 
anybody. 

" And you must tell His Holiness, as of your own 
accord, the disorder of my affairs, and at Florence, 
and everything. But do so carefully at the right 
time and place. . . . 

We are on the point of leaving Milan to go and 
find the enemy. May God give us victory ! 



140 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

" I send you the sable you ask for. As for the 
beautiful fur gloves, there are none here. I commend 
myself to you." 

With her husband's directions fresh in her mind, 
Maria Salviati passed triumphantly through the 
ordeal of her interview with the crafty Pope. She 
hastened to tell Giovanni all about it, writing with 
her own hand. 

" . . . This was the answer of His Holiness. 
That he will never fail Your Highness with 
regard to the State which is to be given you in 
Lombardy, and that you need have no doubt 
about it. You may be quite sure that it will be 
stable and safe when once you have it, as it will be 
guaranteed by so great a personage that there will 
be nothing to fear. If it could not be obtained for 
you in that country, it would certainly be provided 
in some other safe place. . . /* 

It is quite possible that Giovanni felt less confidence 
than his wife in these somewhat vague promises. 
Meanwhile his renown increased every day ; indeed 
his friends in Florence were so alarmed at the reckless 
courage and audacity of his constant skirmishes, 
that they wrote to implore him to " take care of 
himself and not to tempt fortune too much." And 
that indeed to " save his life . . . was the one thing 
needful — all the Law and the Prophets." 

But this Medici had too much of the Sforza in 
him to fight like the other condottieri, with such 
careful discretion that " they might live to fight 
another day." Mounted on his splendid hone 
Sultan, with his sword in hand and lance on rest, he 




141 



BAYAED AND THE BLACK BANDS 143 

rode straight and struck hard at the enemy before 
him, with all care for his own life absorbed in the 
passionate desire for victory. Towards the end of 
January, he led his Black Bands on that famous 
expedition where he only just missed taking Bayard 
at Rebec, a wretched position towards the mountains, 
on the way to Magenta, which the Chevalier sans 
Peur et sans Reproche had repeatedly told Bonnivet 
that it was impossible to defend. He was probably 
left there out of jealousy. In any case he was 
awakened by a night attack on January 27. 

Five hundred light horsemen of the Black Bands 
had sallied out of Milan, and in order to recognise 
each other in the darkness, they wore white shirts 
outside their cuirasses. The watch was taken by 
surprise, and the French camp would have been 
theirs, had they taken due precautions and not 
aroused the enemy by their cries of victory. Bayard, 
who slept in part of his armour, with his cuirass by 
his side, was on the alert at once. The " Loyal 
Serviteur " tells us that " the shouting was great 
and the alarm hot." All that Bayard could do was 
to lead the retreat to Abbiategrasso, where Bonnivet 
was encamped with the main army ; but all the 
tents, some horses, and the baggage were lost, and 
Bayard's company had a very narrow escape for 
their lives. 

There were constant raids and skirmishes through- 
out all the villages and everywhere that provisions 
might be obtained, for the besieged were in want 
of the necessaries of life. Giovanni was growing very 
tired of this unprofitable war, in a plague-stricken 
and desolated country. Both armies suffered terribly, 
but perhaps the French invaders were most to be 

9 



144 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

pitied. The Swiss mercenaries deserted in large 
numbers, for at the first touch of spring, when once 
the passes were open, the distant mountains called 
them back to their homes. They could not be 
expected to remain in exile without food or pay. 
On the imperial side the Black Bands were in much 
the same condition, and Giovanni actually left the 
camp with them and retreated as far as Pa via ; the 
one thing that mattered to him was that his men 
should be treated fairly, and on this account he was 
loved and trusted, far beyond any other leader. 
He would not return until he had received half 
the arrears of pay due to his bands. As time passed 
on, the skirmishes became more fierce and desperate 
than ever, while the Black Bands were always in 
the thick of everything. They took Garlasco after 
the third assault, when the Duke of Urbino had given 
up all hope ; in the water up to the throat, the 
soldiers of Giovanni crossed the moats and trenches, 
and fought their way through the breach with 
terrible loss of life, while the standard-bearer was 
drowned in a rushing torrent. 

Then Abbiategrasso was taken and retaken, with 
massacre and plundering ; it was a hot-bed of plague, 
and the spoils carried to Milan infected all the houses 
which received them, and in that ill-fated city 
thousands upon thousands of deaths were the fearful 
price of that disastrous booty. Yet still this savage 
war went on, more cruel than ever on both sides, 
for during that month of April 1524, the rule between 
the two armies was " No quarter and no mercy ; all 
who were taken prisoner were massacred/ 1 Bon- 
nivet had sent for 8,000 Swiss, but the Black Bands 
went out to meet them, and they turned and lied 



DEATH OF THE CHEVALIER BAYARD 145 

without a blow, " doubtful about their pay, and also 
in terror of the very name of Giovanni. Never were 
there such splendid troops as his and so eager for 
fighting. Bergamo is quite safe, for the Lord 
Giovanni will see to that," wrote the Venetian 
ambassador on April 13. 

One by one, the plague-stricken towns of Lombardy 
fell into the hands of the league, and it was in this 
terrible month that the Chevalier Bayard met with 
his death. With the most gallant courage he was 
protecting the retreat of the army, charging inces- 
santly, when the shot of a falconet broke his spine. 
The tragic and heroic story of his end is too well 
known to repeat, and his loss to the French Army 
was irretrievable. Giovanni dei Medici was there : 
one of the admiring circle of those who had fought 
against him, and who knew how to value aright so 
true a hero. 

The war was now practically at an end, for the 
only desire of Bonnivet was to retreat as quickly as 
possible ; and most of his enemies were quite willing 
that he should do so. But Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
would have pursued and destroyed them all if he had 
had his way, for he disdained any compromise. The 
fame of his exploits had spread through Italy, and 
in Florence and Rome " he was praised up to the 
skies, and every mouth was full of his renown." 
" We are all agreed," writes Suasio, " that if God 
preserves Your Highness through this campaign, 
our epoch will have no one to compare with you. 
May God save you. . . . Madonna sends word that 
she will soon be at the Trebbio. ..." 

He had been wounded slightly at Abbiategrasso, 
but took no notice of it. In those days, when five 



146 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

or six cannon and a few falconets were enough to 
storm a town, and when the movements of troops 
were usually so slow that, for instance, the Duke of 
Milan could receive news from hour to hour of the 
movements and plans of his enemies, the extra- 
ordinary rapidity and valour of the Black Bands 
carried everything before them. The Pope expressed 
the greatest admiration of Giovanni, and continued to 
talk of the state he was to have — Fermo or another — 
but nothing was settled ; and the Captain of the 
Black Bands still found the greatest difficulty in 
obtaining the payment of the arrears due to them. 
Meantime, amongst all these worries, Giovanni has 
constant amusing and licentious letters from Aretino, 
with a sonnet here and there, and a love-letter from 
some Roman lady of light character. 

The coming of peace brought fresh troubles to 
the condottiere when he returned to his mountain 
fastness at Aulla, but we feel that his neighbours 
were most to be pitied. Some occupation had to 
be found for the terrible Black Bands, who were 
badly paid by the Duke Sforza, and there was redress 
for encroachments to be paid for by the Pallavicini 
and the Malespina. The Pope was appealed to, and 
had to interfere with a letter of warning to his 
" beloved Giovanni." 

We hear a great deal about the turbulent 
behaviour of the Black Bands from the letters 
of Ariosto, the unfortunate poet, who could only 
obtain any salary from Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, 
by accepting the arduous post of Governor of the 
Garfagnana. He was isolated from all he loved ; 
he was in the midst of a wild and rugged land, 
without sufficient force to defend it ; and he had 



THE BLACK BANDS GIVE TROUBLE 147 

to hold his cup level between the brigands on one 
hand and the formidable Black Bands on the other. 
In the beginning of July 1524, a company of the 
Black Bands got entangled in a faction fight before 
the walls of Camporgiano, which was sacked " with 
fire and blood/' Quarrelling over the booty, the 
captain, Todeschino, was wounded, and fell into the 
hands of the Governor Ariosto, who sent full par- 
ticulars to the Duke of Ferrara. " I wish I could 
hang all those ruffians . . . but I am not strong 
enough ! '' he lamented. Todeschino, before his 
death, asserted that all this had been done " without 
the knowledge of the Lord Giovanni " ; only, if things 
had turned out well, he would have approved ! Mean- 
while, the bands continued to raid the country of the 
Malespina, and even to take some of them prisoners. 

At length matters became so bad that the Pope 
and the Viceroy Lannoy had to interfere, for there 
were complaints on every side. The Duke of Ferrara 
wrote to his ambassador at Naples : " There have 
come to Pisa, by sea, seven pieces of ammunition 
to the men of the Lord Giovanni ; tell the Viceroy 
of this." And Castiglione, the ambassador from 
Mantua, spoke so strongly to the Pope that he sent 
orders for all the prisoners taken by the bands to 
be set free. So much pressure was put upon Gio- 
vanni that at length he was induced to sell his robber 
castle of Aulla to the Malespina, for a large sum of 
money, but these arrangements were not carried 
out without many struggles. In the following year 
Pope Clement gave his young condottiere 10,000 
francs per month to install him in Rome, and thus 
prevent him from becoming the ruler of Florence. 

Maria Salviati shared all her husband's indignation 



148 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

at finding himself without employment or a dominion 
of his own. She wrote : 

" It is very well known that the Duke of Milan 
gives Giovanni nothing, because the Viceroy does 
not wish it ; he makes the Duke deceive him as 
he does himself. If he has not Pontremoli it is 
quite clear that it is for this reason. It is not enough 
to say ' I sent a man on purpose/ All the great 
Lords have a counter-sign, and if that is not on the 
letter, nothing is done. You will soon see Giovanni 
utterly ruined." 

This warrior after the ancient style, who fought 
like a hero of the Iliad ; setting free an important 
prisoner on account of his courage ; always leaving 
his spoils of war to his men ; was too honest and too 
generous to make his way, for he was ever ready 
to speak his mind to Viceroy, Captain-General, or 
Legate. Implacable when one of his soldiers was 
wronged, he always took the post of danger, and at 
any moment would risk his own life to save one of 
his men. No wonder they loved him for his splendid 
courage, his fearless justice, and his open-handed 
generosity. But for all these qualities the Pope was 
jealous of him, for he threw his own young Alessandro 
completely into the shade. 

On the arrival of an ambassador from the Emperor, 
with a proposal for universal peace, and nine different 
ways of securing it, there was a splendid reception 
in which Giovanni delle Bande Nere rode by the side 
of the Bwarthy boy of fourteen, the Pope's Ales- 
sandro, and the amba ador wrote: ' I was saluted 
by as many trumpeters and minstrels, as we arc 



WITH PIETRO ARETINO, AT FANO 149 

accustomed to have at the Carnival of Mechlin." 
We know what a judge of trumpeters Giovanni 
was ! 

The whole summer appears to have been spent 

by him at Eome, in the midst of intrigues and 

anxious waiting ; but he received several important 

gifts of money from the Pope. Even Maria and 

little Cosimo did not escape from the sultry heat 

of the Eternal City to the cooler air of Trebbio, as 

we find the bailiff writing, after the vintage : " We 

hope, notwithstanding the rain, to have good wine, 

and so much, that if Your Excellency does not come 

to help us drink it, I shall have enough for ten years." 

To find occupation for the Black Bands, in time 

of peace, was always the great difficulty of their 

young leader. The Pope had assigned the city of 

Fano, on the Adriatic, as a place of residence for a 

great number of them, and Giovanni was frequently 

thereto look after them — a task which was no sinecure, 

for they were always in trouble with the citizens. 

It was here that he was joined by Pietro Aretino, 

who had managed to fall into disgrace in Rome, 

although he had really taken extraordinary care not 

to offend Pope Clement. So much so, that the 

people complained of the silence of Pasquino, and 

some poet pasted up a dialogue between a Traveller 

and Marforio. 

" Traveller. ' Marforio, since the day when this 
Pope was elected, your brother Pasquino is grown 
almost dumb, and Aretino no longer rebukes vice. 
What have you to say about it ? ' 

" Marforio. ' Why, don't you know that Armellino 
has cut short Pasquino by giving him to understand 
that if he makes a sound they will slit his tongue 



150 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

for him, so the poor fellow does not dare to breathe, 
much less speak.' 

" Traveller. ' Pietro Aretino, who was in such high 
favour, was taken with a mouthful of bait like a 
frog,* and now he sings but does not want to touch 
the Court. 

" The amazing Pietro Aretino " hurried from 
Arezzo to join Giovanni delle Bande Nere, who gave 
him a hearty welcome, although it was rather a 
disappointment for him to have lost a friend at 
court. They made merry together, but Fano was 
not Reggio, and they could not revive the wild and 
turbulent gaiety of those old days. Once more the 
fair and ill-fated land of Italy is threatened with 
war, for the imperial army has been repelled from 
the walls of Marseilles, and the French King, blinded 
by vanity and ambition, is gaily riding at the head of 
his army — to meet his fate. 

On the same day that Giovanni received this 
news, the long-promised reward for his services was 
offered him by the Duke of Milan ; this was the rich 
present of the town and neighbourhood of Busto 
Arizio, fifteen miles from Milan, which had been 
confiscated from Trivulzio. The Duke accompanies 
his gift with glowing words of praise to the young 
condottiere, " who has deserved honour and glory 
from the whole army ; who has performed such 
illustrious exploits that their memory is imperishable. 
This famous warrior, with diligent care and most 
admirable courage of soul and body, in order to 
protect Milan from enemies and ambushes . . . has 
worn out the enemy night and day by incessant 

* Clement VII. made him a Knight of Rhode* 



THE FAME OF GIOVANNI 151 

incursions into their camp, has fought them with 
the greatest ardour, has cut off their convoys, and 
intercepted their provisions, until one might almost 
doubt whether it was the city that was besieged or 
the enemy." 

But Giovanni delle Bande Nere was not one of 
those who settle down in their well-earned domain 
and live happily ever after. His restless ambition 
was once more to lead him astray. Late at night, 
on October 27, Giovanni arrived in Florence, paused 
at the entrance of the palace in the Via Larga to 
salute the Bishop of Cortona and Ippolito dei Medici ; 
then, without dismounting, rode off through the 
darkness to the Trebbio. Great events were hap- 
pening : Francois I. was already before Pa via, full 
of confidence, with a strong army ; and he had set 
his heart on winning over the warrior Medici to his 
side. There were strange goings on in the little 
inn of the Piccolo Cavallo, where the agents on both 
sides met and bargained. On the last day of October, 
Giovanni wrote to Fortunati : 

" You will tell the Holy Father that notwith- 
standing what the Duke writes, I do not think we 
shall agree." 

He was at San Secondo, the town he had re- 
conquered for Bianca's sons, and it was here that he 
received the definite offers of the French King, a 
fortnight later. He thus tells the story to his brother- 
in-law, the Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, who was at 
Parma : 

" Two messengers came to me yesterday from 
the King of France, sent by His Majesty that I 
might go to him. I beg your Most Eeverend 



152 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Lordship to be good enough to advise and counsel 
me ; what am I to do ? The names of the envoys 
are .... I await your answer/' 

The next day, he added in a second letter : 

" . . . One cannot write everything. I will be 
with you to-morrow and will treat you to the whole 
affair ; and Your Most Reverend Highness will see 
that I have behaved with discretion/' 

Cardinal Salviati was Legate for Cisalpine Lom- 
bardy ; he was one of the most devoted of the young 
Medici's friends, and he was in constant touch with 
the Pope, so that he could advise his kinsman with 
full authority. In point of fact, the crafty and 
vacillating Clement VII. had come to the conclusion 
that the French would win in the coming struggle ; 
and, to obtain favour with Francois I., he gave his 
permission to Giovanni delle Bande Nere to enter 
the service of the French King. On November 19, 
1524, the final step was taken, with the full approval 
of Giberti the Papal datary, who congratulated 
Giovanni " on having left the ungrateful imperials/' 
A week later the Black Bands were before Pavia, in 
the French camp, and the King received their leader 
with enthusiasm, insisting that he should be lodged 
close to the royal tents, under the shadow of the 
rich abbey of San Lanfranco. 



CHAPTEE X 

With the Pope's consent, Giovanni passes over to the French — 
Siege of Pavia — The reckless and marvellous valour of Giovanni 
in his skirmishes — Giovanni is wounded — He is sent to Piacenza 
to be cared for — Letter of Cardinal Salviati to Maria — Francois I. 
defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia. 

" The passage of the Lord Giovanni dei Medici to 
the French " was taken with much ill favour by the 
imperial party. Pope Clement VII. was too cunning 
to show his hand, and he tried to make the Emperor 
believe that it was a headstrong and unauthorised 
move on the part of his young kinsman. The 
Venetians, however, were too subtle themselves to 
be deceived, and they said : " He is under the Pope's 
influence ; we can see towards which side the Holy 
Father inclines." But in point of fact this treacher- 
ous Pontiff was still undecided, as usual ; he wanted 
to be on good terms with both sides, so that he 
might join the winner in the end. One day he gave 
money to Lannoy, the Imperial Viceroy, and the 
next time, he signed a private treaty with Francois I. 
" God grant that it may turn out well," wrote the 
time-serving canons of San Lorenzo to their colleague 
Fortunati, when they heard of Giovanni's last step. 

Meantime, the hero himself troubled not at all 
as to what might be said of him ; it was quite enough 
for him to be in that magnificent camp, surrounded 
by pleasure-loving companions, and to pass in 

153 



154 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

review, on foot, his immense pike on his shoulder, 
3,000 picked troops in the presence of the King 
and his Court. Not a sortie takes place from the 
besieged city but Giovanni and his Black Bands are 
the first to repel it, and his praises are sounded on 
every side ; he is hailed as " nourished in victories 
from his childhood." We find an order, signed 
by the French King, " to pay at once 36,000 
crowns to the Lord Giovanni dei Medici." Never 
were such promises as those made to this young 
leader ! He was to have a larger army under him 
than he had ever commanded before ; he was to 
receive 3,000 crowns of salary, and 2,000 crowns of 
fixed income a year ; his nephews, especially his 
favourite, Count Pietro, were to be well provided for, 
and the Collar of the Order of St. Michel was offered 
to him by the French King. 

But Giovanni was too generous and impulsive to 
take advantage of these lavish offers. He reveals 
himself fully in a letter to his friend, Pietro Aretino, 
who was now once more in favour at Rome. 

" My brave Pietro, — 

"... I have been treated like a brother 
by the King of France. ... I sent back the Order 
of St. Michel to this great Prince, and I tore 
up the treaties which contained the provision for 
my salary and an income for my wife . . . telling 
him that he should bestow such a dignity on one 
who has served him longer than I have, while as for 
the pay, that should be in proportion to the service. 
. . . I know there is no need to tell you how to 
answer those who blame me ... for I could not do 
otherwise than I have done. I forgot to tell you 



HIGH FAVOUR WITH FRANgOIS I. 155 

that the King asked me yesterday why I had not 
brought you here with me. . . . His Majesty bid me 
write and say that you are to come. ... I cannot 
live without the Aretino. 
" From Pavia. 

" Thy Giovanni dei Medici." 

It was all very well to tear up agreements in this 
chivalrous way, but disaster may come to any great 
King, and then the condottiere is in a very bad way 
who has nothing to justify his claims. As for the 
Order, we can quite understand that Giovanni, who 
felt that he might have to change sides again, was 
unwilling to bind his honour by the needful oath of 
allegiance to France. He was always very punc- 
tilious about his ideal of honour. Meantime he was 
on the most friendly terms with this open-handed 
prince, who one day, when some horses were wounded 
in a skirmish in his presence, immediately presented 
the company engaged with 600 to replace their loss. 

When the Duke of Albany was sent with an army 
towards Naples, to draw away troops from Pavia, 
there was no one but Giovanni, with a company of 
his Black Bands, who was thought capable of pro- 
tecting the convoy of artillery sent against Pescara. 
On December 16, Giovanni remained on horseback at 
San Donnino all the wintry night, on guard, and the 
imperial army was compelled to retreat. A little 
later he reviewed the Swiss mercenaries, to the 
number of 10,000 most excellent troops, and the 
next day passed in review before the King his own 
splendid Black Bands. All went off with great 
honour, and there was special satisfaction in the fact 
that on January 2, 1525, the soldiers of Giovanni 



156 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

punctually received their pay — quite a new expe- 
rience for them. 

They well deserved it, for they were in the fore- 
front of every attack ; they were engaged in constant 
skirmishes in the marches ; they were sent to burn 
neighbouring villages suspected of treachery ; to 
collect provisions from the neighbourhood ; in short, 
all the laborious and dangerous work fell to the lot 
of the Black Bands, who suffered terrible loss, while 
their gallant leader was in constant peril of his life. 
One day, Leyva, the Governor of Pavia, had gained 
an advantage against the Black Bands ; had killed 
several of them and taken four of their banners, 
which were defiantly hung on the city walls. Gio- 
vanni was furious, and swore to avenge his men, 
whose life and honour were always dearer to him 
than his own. 

Several stories are told of Giovanni which show 
his mood at this time. One day there was a dis- 
cussion going on in the camp, in the King's presence, 
about the various ways of taking an important post 
near the city. Giovanni delle Bande Nere, who had 
not spoken, rose after the last words. " Sacred 
Majesty," he exclaimed ; " Your Highness has more 
need of results than of advice. Let me do it." He 
took a few of his own men, and without a cuirass, 
just as he was, he stormed the place before the King ; 
absolutely reckless of danger, he had a horse killed 
under him, and half maddened with the awful 
risks, he massacred all before him. Francois I., who 
had never seen anything like his fighting, made him 
a royal gift before the whole army. 

Another time, it so chanced that Giovanni was 
pursuing one of his servants who had disobeyed 



RECKLESS VALOUR OF CONDOTTIERE 157 

him, and his horse carried him into the ranks of the 
Swiss who, not recognising him in his simple dress, 
got in his way and began to make fun of him. Gio- 
vanni went back to his quarters in a rage ; he armed 
his men, and would have made an end of the Swiss 
had not the King been warned and implored him to 
forgive them. But all the Swiss captains had to 
beg his pardon on their knees, before the proud 
young Medici would consent to forgive the affront. 

This was the man who had sworn vengeance upon 
the enemy. He only remembered one thing, that 
the Spaniards had beaten his Black Bands. In a 
letter to his brother-in-law, the Cardinal Salviati, 
he tells him that the camp of the enemy was only 
a cannon-shot distant, and " we have the most 
beautiful skirmishes in the world every day in the 
presence of the King and the Court, going as far as 
the tents of the Spaniards/' 

The friends of Giovanni were in constant alarm 
at his reckless valour, and the Cardinal, who was 
specially devoted to the friend of his childhood, wrote 
thus to Maria Salviati: 

"Most cherished and magnificent sister, — 
" I have received your letter with great 
pleasure, in which I learn that you and Cosimo are 
both in good health ; I love him with all my heart, 
and my most earnest desire is that you should make 
him study well ; encourage him from me and tell 
him that if he does not learn, I will bring him no 
beautiful presents on my return. 

" His Lordship [Giovanni] cannot be more be- 
loved, nor in higher favour and reputation with the 
Most Christian King, and this is only just, for he 



158 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

does everything ; he alone attacks the King's enemies 
with his troops more than all the rest of the French 
Army ; and he does things which are written about 
and boasted of from both camps as marvellous and 
supernatural. But as these cannot be performed 
without manifest peril, he does not leave my mind a 
moment's peace with regard to him, although I have 
at present so many other serious anxieties. God 
is my witness that in this world I have neither 
brother nor sister so dear to me as His Lord-hip 
Giovanni. . . ." 

We may imagine how much this kind letter added 
to the poor wife's constant fears, for she well knew 
how absolutely useless any words of caution on her 
part would be. Her terrible anxiety was only too 
soon justified. 

On that eventful Saturday, February 17, Giovanni 
took his vengeance. He rode forth at night with a 
small company and succeeded in drawing the Im- 
perials, under Antonio de Leyva, into one of those 
ambuscades which he knew so well how to prepare. 
By a pretended flight, the enemies were enticed into 
the trap, and saw the Black Bands suddenly turn 
and burst upon them, riddle them with blows and 
drive them back, with fearful loss, to the very gates 
of Pavia. Giovanni, covered with blood, intoxicated 
with savage joy and radiant with his victory, was 
riding towards the camp in triumph when he met the 
French General Bonnivet, who asked him what 
had happened. When he heard the story, Bonnivet 
exclaimed : " Let us go back ; show me the place." 

Giovanni was delighted to ride back and point 
out the place where the massacre occurred ; they 




Brogi, photo. 



Bust by San Gallo : Bargello, Florence. 
GIOVANNI DELLE BAXDE NERE. 



159 



GIOVANNI WOUNDED BEFORE PA VIA 161 

even delayed in order to count the slain, and, in doing 
so, drew near to a ruined hut where some of the 
enemy's gunners were hiding. When Giovanni delle 
Bande Nere was within range, a shot was fired, and 
a heavy ball * struck his right leg below where the 
cuirass ended. The soldier had aimed well, and the 
mediaeval warrior was laid low by that " abominable 
artillery " by which, like his contemporary Bayard, 
he was destined to pay the full penalty of his old- 
fashioned contempt. He was carried back to the 
camp, and the King came himself to visit the wounded 
man, who was in great pain. The Court physician 
probed the wound and found that, although the 
bone and the nerves were injured, there was no 
present danger. The ball had penetrated straight 
through, above the ankle, driving in pieces of bone, 
broken chain-mail, and bits of stuff — just at the 
place where the greave, which protected most of the 
leg, left a space above the " soleret." 

There was great dismay at the news of this accident, 
and the Pope, in real fear of losing his champion, 
sent orders that Giovanni should be carried at once 
by water to Piacenza to be nursed. The message 
was brought by the most famous surgeon of Bologna, f 
who was also entrusted with some holy and precious 
oil for curing wounds. This was the letter of Pope 
Clement, brought by his chamberlain : 

" To Giovanni dei Medici, wounded. 
" Dear Son, — 
" We send you salutation and Apostolic 
benediction. We have been deeply grieved by this 
misfortune . . . and we send our command that 

* Weighing 11 oz. j Giacomo da Carpi. 

10 



162 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

you suffer yourself to be transported to Piacenza. 
. . . Do not delay, as there, in the hands of your 
own people, you will be more conveniently cared for. 
. . . You can do nothing which will give us more 
pleasure. . . . 

" Given at Rome." 

The King also insisted, and the wounded man 
suffered himself to be carried to the barge, which 
bore him smoothly down the Po to Piacenza, on 
February 21. He had a safe-conduct and a strong 
escort provided by Lannoy and Pescara, which was 
most necessary, or he would have been torn to pieces 
by the people who lived on the river banks, so great 
was the fear and hatred he had inspired. Cardinal 
Salviati met him, and waited till the next day before 
he sent news of the accident to his sister Maria, 
when at the same time he could give a hopeful account 
of the invalid. 

" Much beloved, magnificent Sister, — 

" 1 would not write to you before, con- 
cerning the misfortune which has befallen the Lord 
Giovanni . . . not to keep you in suspense. But 
now that by the grace of God, all is going 
well/ [He tells the story.] " When I heard 
this on Sunday, I was more distressed than I 
have ever been in my life. ... I sent couriers at 
once in every direction . . . and at last Giovanni 
consented to come here. . . . He has been well 
cared for, and to-day, which is the fourth day and 
the change of moon, he has seemed very well, so 
that my mind is at rest and I am full of courage. 
And I implore you to be the same, assuring you 



HE IS TAKEN TO PIACENZA 163 

that there is no danger and the doctors believe that 
he will quite recover. . . . He is very patient and as 
obedient as an angel. As I said, you may have your 
mind at rest, and accept from God this small evil, 
as preserving us from a much greater misfortune. 
For seeing how he defied the artillery, and was 
ever in most evident peril, and took upon himself all 
the fighting in the camp, one might any day expect 
much worse than this. 

" I must not omit to tell you that if the accident 
had happened to one of his sons, the Most Christian 
King could not have felt more than he did for His 
Lordship ; he has been never weary of sending him 
presents, visiting him and bestowing upon him every 
mark of affection, which was only just. ... I will 
keep you informed day by day of his progress, and 
when I do not write to you, you will learn everything 
from our father's letters." (The Pope had sent Sal- 
via ti, Maria's father, to be on the spot and give him 
news.) The cardinal adds a few lines in his own 
hand : " My dearly cherished little sister ; be of 
good courage ; only now, the doctors told me when 
I was present at the dressing of Giovanni, that his 
wound is without any danger, and that he will feel 
no evil result from it." 

He made good progress, was very gay, sang and 
talked nonsense with his devoted brother-in-law. 
Yet he had been most unwilling to leave the camp at 
Pavia, for he knew that his Black Bands would be 
of little use without him. He had declared that if 
the impending battle should be fought before he was 
well, he would have himself carried to the ramparts 
that he might watch and command his men, if he 



THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

could not serve in person. But the great, the deci- 
the fatal battle was fought sooner than was expected, 
on February 24. while Giovanni was dictating a 
cheerful letter to console his poor little wife. 

*' Illustrious Lady and most loving Wife. — 
"I have seen your letter and that of 
unati to the Most Reverend Salviati. Do not 

90 ready to believe the worst, for men who 
have flesh, and blood, and bones, are not cut up 
like turnips. On the eighteenth of the present 
month I received a wound in my leg from a 
gun shot, and in order to be more easily cured I 
was carried to Piacenza where the Most Reverend 
[Salviati] was ; and thank God. I shall have 

9ed the fourth day after the wound and the 
change of moon without inconvenience or fever ; 
and these doctors say positively that in twenty days 
I shall leave mv bed without danger either of life 
or infirmity. 

" Thus do not let Your Ladyship grieve so much ; 
I shail be all right. With this assurance, think of 
living j< and praying to God. I commend 

myself to you. 

; 'From Piacenza, the 24th of February, 1525. 

'" From your most loving husband, 

" Giovanni dei Medici. 

The wounded man was in excellent spirit-, for the 
famous Hebrew .-urgeon, Abraham of Mantua, had been 
I by the French King to attend upon him ; and by 
taking out a number of >plinters he had eased the 
pain and given great relief. oni felt o well 

that he ordered hi.- armour to be bed- 

that very moment, hi 



BATTLE OF PAVIA, FRANgOIS L, CAPTIVE 165 

for Giovanni delie Bande Nere on the fatal field 
beneath the walls of Pa via ! Francois I. always 
declared that if that gallant soldier had been by 
his side, he would never have been reduced to that 
last depth of humiliation, when — wounded in the 
face and hand, his lance broken, himself unhorsed 
and entangled in his splendid armour — the King of 
France was compelled to give up his sword and own 
himself prisoner. What must have been the feelings 
of Giovanni himself when he heard the next day 
that his splendid Black Bands, forming the right 
wing of the French Army — led by the Duke of Suffolk 
and Francois de Lorraine, who both fell beneath 
the impetuous overwhelming rush of Bourbon's 
landsknechte — had been driven back with great loss 
after an heroic resistance ? By what irony of fate 
had this unfortunate accident befallen their leader 
at so critical a moment ? 

That he, the greatest soldier of the day, should 
have been laid aside on a sick bed when the decisive 
battle of the whole campaign was fought, was indeed 
a cruel disaster to Giovanni delle Bande Nere, al- 
though his personal friends looked upon it as a 
merciful escape for him. Yet his chief anxiety just 
then was to keep at his bedside the famous surgeon, 
Abraham, in whom he placed his only hope of com- 
plete recovery. Splinters of bone and lead appear 
to have constantly been removed from the wound ; 
but the palace at Parma was not a very comfortable 
place for an invalid, as one night there was such a 
terrible noise of fighting downstairs that Giovanni 
sprang from his bed in a rage, and threw back his 
recovery for some time. Meantime it was fortunate 
for him that he had some one at Rome to look after 



166 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

his interests. Maria Salviati realised, with her clear 
insight, the utter ruin of her husband's position 
caused by the defeat of the French. She knew that 
her only hope was in the treacherous Pope Clement, 
whose intrigues and dissimulation had been at the 
root of everything. She saw how her Giovanni had 
lost the affection and respect of his own countrymen 
by his unfortunate alliance with France, and all her 
efforts were set on undoing the harm already done, 
in reinstating her husband in public opinion, and at 
the same time in obtaining from the Pope the money 
absolutely necessary for his Black Bands and himself. 
It was a tremendous and almost hopeless task 
which the young wife had undertaken, and she was 
most loyally seconded by the devoted Fortunati. 
But when the result did not satisfy Giovanni, with 
the fret fulness of a sick man he blamed the good 
priest in such violent language that Maria wrote 
bravely in his defence, and declared that she herself 
was cruelly affronted. 

" . . . Yes, I, who have done my best, have 
received such a blow that I shall never dare to 
look any one in the face/' she writes in her 
despair. " But, thank God, I have a father and 
mother who will never fail me, otherwise I would 
strangle myself with my own hands. ... In all 
this business, I have seen what power I have witli 
regard to our interests. I tell you, Giovanni, I had 
no such confidence in anybody of this lower world 
as in you, but I have seen this time what I am. I 
will arrange matters in quite another fashion than 
I have done up to this day. . . ." 

Poor young wife ! She wrote bitter letters at first, 



SLOW KECOVEKY OF GIOVANNI 167 

but they soon became calmer and merely formal. 
And meantime she had her little Cosimo to think 
of — that silent, cold, inscrutable child ; and for his 
sake she left Rome in the burning summer weather, 
and went first to Florence and then to the mountain 
castle of the Trebbio. But Fortunati was ill, and, 
to his bitter regret, could not accompany his mistress 
nor his " little master." 

By slow degrees Giovanni recovered from his 
wound, but he was advised to complete his cure by 
going to the mud-baths of Abana, about six miles 
from Padua. On the way he delayed to take up 
the command of his Black Bands. They were ever 
an anxiety in time of peace, and the great difficulty 
always was to find some safe place where they might 
be lodged, without getting into too much mischief. 
Giovanni received two letters the same day about 
them. One was from a captain of his : " Most 
Illustrious Lord, there is a great difference between 
thinking out a thing in one's chamber, and putting 
it in execution ; the troops are not easy to lodge 
out " ; and the other letter was from the Governor 
of Romagna : "... The complaints of all these 
people arrive with so much force to the Holy Father, 
that His Holiness sees himself obliged to listen to 
them and help them. I therefore beg Your Excel- 
lency to be good enough to restore order." This 
was easier said than done. The only way was to 
pay the expenses of any outrage which could not be 
prevented ; and the bill for these Black Bands in 
Romagna alone, came to more than seven hundred 
ducats a month. 

On his way to Abana, going by sea from Chioggia, 
Giovanni had to pass through Venice, where he was 



THE ROMAS F A MEDICI WARRIOR 

received with princely hospitality and lodged with his 
suite of forty people in the Palazzo Giustiani, oppo- 
site the Salute. He remained here for several w 
and the Republic made him most flattering offers 
if he would enter into the sen-ice of San Jiareo. 
But he wisely refused, for the crafty Venetians, who 
always liked to remain neutral, would have found 
little use for so warlike and decided a champion as 
the young Medici. Before leaving Venice, he re- 
d from his bailiff at Trebbio the full list of his 
pack of hounds, and particulars of those sent on 
to Abana, where Giovanni hoped to relieve the 
tedium of taking mud-baths by a little hunting in 
the plains of Padua and the Euganean Hills. The 
goshawks were not in condition that year, but 
Giuliano, the kennel-groom, brought with him a dozen 
hounds, and a dog for the burrows or brushwood, 
called Serpent. The condition of the kenne. 
bio was excellent, as th ■:: re about I 

harriers, bloodhounds, and wtl a seven 

young hounds and " five puppies of La Seiche, which 
look like mastiffs," .Jiano. the kennel-groom, 
able to give the fullest particulars about them all 
Lorenzo Salviati had sent Giovanni an Arab horse, 
and Maria forwarded him pheasants, peacocks, and 
partridges. 

Evidently he had some relaxation while he was 
taking his cure, and in July he went on to Ferrara, 
where he could talk over the baths with Duke 
Alfonso, who had taken them himself some y 
before. It was an excellent country for game, and 
they had some good sport. But Giovanni did some 
business here ; he sent his se- Cantelupo, 

over to France to press his claims, for since Pa via 



HIS CLAIMS FORGOTTEN 169 

he had never received any pay, past or present, for 
his Black Bands, or the princely salary promised 
him. Did Giovanni now regret, at his leisure, that 
quixotic tearing-up of bonds and agreements which 
left him without a legal claim ? No notice appears 
to have been taken of his appeal ; indeed at that 
moment, when the King's sister Marguerite was on 
the point of setting forth for Spain and the whole 
kingdom was disturbed and full of anxiety, the 
Medici condottiere had no chance of obtaining 
justice. So he turned his attention to other matters, 
and went back to his favourite castle of the Trebbio 
and devoted himself to his hunting and fishing. A 
letter of this time from his bailiff says : " . . . He 
is not quite so strong on the injured leg as on the 
other, although I was told yesterday, he ran some 
way behind a pheasant to catch it." 



/ 



CHAPTER XI 

Trouble with the Malespini — Giovanni takes to the life of a corsair 
atFano, on the Adriatic — When war begins, he enters the service 
of France and the Pope — His marvellous exploits at the siege of 
Milan. 

It was well for Giovanni delle Bande Nere that he 
had recovered his health and strength at Abana, as 
he had a difficult task before him. Dming his 
illness, the irrepressible Malespini had been ravaging 
the Lnnigiano and seizing, not only the domain of 
Giovanni, but the strongholds which belonged to 
Florence, which were badly fortified, with rusty 
arquebuses and old-fashioned arms. During the 
month of August, while their leader remained at the 
Trebbio, the Black Bands carried on their usual 
style of aggressive warfare in the disputed land ; 
they were joined by many of the inhabitants, and they 
plundered and burnt the places which resisted them. 
But before long, Giovanni received the serious news 
that all the tribe of the Malespini, the Marchese 
Lorenzo, the Marchese Spinetta, and various others 
had combined to besiege Aulla, with 2,000 men, some 
Spanish knights, and three great cannon which they 
had brought from Sarzana. 

The Medici condottiere lost not a moment ; on 
the night of Monday, September 18, he suddenly 
appeared at the foot of the Aulla rock, with fifty 
light horsemen and 700 foot-soldiers. Now it 

170 



TEOUBLE WITH THE MALESPINI 171 

was his turn to carry all before him. At the first 
rumour of his coming, the lordly Malespini had fled, 
and he soon recovered everything — both his own 
lands and those of Florence. But he was tired of 
this petty warfare after his taste of real fighting, 
and by September 27, he had made arrangements to 
sell all his property on the banks of the Magra, 
and all the places he had taken, for the sum of 
2,500 golden crowns. The money was paid and the 
receipt was signed before the notary, Ser Pietro dei 
Medici da Panic ale, and the Malespini entered into 
the long-disputed possession ; and soon paid their 
expenses by plundering their neighbours and their 
vassals. 

Meantime Maria was at Florence, and her letters 
are full of details about the illness and death of 
Pietro Francesco, who did not even name his cousin 
Giovanni in his will ; but she wants to know if little 
Cosimo is to wear mourning. And the boy himself 
writes in his big childish hand : 

" Most Illustrious Lord, my father. I desire very 
very much that before the departure of your Lordship, 
you will give me leave to come and see you at the 
Trebbio. I could not at present have any greater 
favour or joy, and I commend myself to your 
Lordship, whom may God preserve. . . ." 

A most suitable and becoming letter for a tutor 
to dictate to the little prince ! 

Giovanni was now recognised as the head of the 
younger Medici branch, and one step which he took 
in this capacity is characteristic. He wrote to 
Cardinal Passerini that his cousin had left many 



172 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

debts, and as it was his opinion that " honour goes 
before masses/' he thought, that the Holy Father's 
money ought to pay these, rather than the thousand 
masses for his soul which Pietro Francesco had asked 
for. But the eager condottiere had other things of 
far more importance to think of. What was to be 
done to find employment for his terrible Black Bands 
and keep them together ? A great number had 
been disbanded after the defeat of Pavia, and his 
Corsican captains were writing, imploring him to take 
them back in his service. Important events were 
happening on every side, the rivalry between the 
Emperor and the King of France was more desperate 
than ever, and Giovanni looked forward hopefully, 
and prayed for war. 

But while this peace, so costly for him, still lin- 
gered on, the Medici warrior looked about him for 
means of living. His incessant claims had hitherto 
met with no response in France, and the Pope gave 
him fair promises, but nothing came of them. Gio- 
vanni went to Fano, that picturesque little city on 
the Adriatic, with a new idea in his mind. He would 
become a corsair, he would man vessels with his 
dauntless troops, be a pirate against the pirates 
who swarmed on that coast of the Adriatic and 
plundered everywhere triumphantly — that year when 
the Turk had been so victorious on land. Giovanni 
had long had a special liking for Fano ; he had longed 
for it as a Principality where he might live and keep 
his chosen bands around him. But now he cast 
his eyes upon the delicious port of Ancona, some 
miles to the south, that harbour so beautifully shel- 
tered between the promontories of Monte Astagno 
and Monte Guasco ; that city, with its rich commerce — 



CORSAIR LIFE AT FANO 173 

the next to Venice, Queen of the Sea. Fano, with 
its strong fortifications, cannot be compared to the 
many attractions of Ancona. But if he should 
venture on taking it by storm, in these later days, 
it was absolutely necessary to have artillery. Greatly 
daring, he wrote to the Duke of Ferrara to supply 
him ; but the prudent Alfonso replied courteously 
that with rumours of war on every side, he would 
need all his guns for his own defence. He offered 
money instead, but this Giovanni declined, as he 
had at last received an advance of 3,000 ducats 
from France. 

If he could not take Ancona, at least Giovanni 
delle Bande Nere spent a very merry time at Fano 
with the help of his friend Pietro Aretino, who had 
been finally driven from Rome, where he narrowly 
escaped the daggers of hired cut-throats. His de- 
votion to his soldier friend was partly due to the 
feeling that, with him, he was certain of protection. 
The young Medici was leading a life of dissipation 
on land, while at the same time he thoroughly en- 
joyed his pirate game. He already had a small 
flotilla in which he trained his men to go to sea and 
learn something of naval warfare, but when his 
ambition was satisfied by obtaining a brigantine, 
as a standing threat against Ancona, this corsair- 
prince seems to have b'een satisfied with coasting 
along the shore, and he never even had the good 
fortune to meet the Turk. 

His friends in Rome smiled at these nautical 
amusements which served to keep the turbulent 
captain out of mischief, for war was at hand, and 
then he would be wanted in serious earnest. Their 
only trouble was that he was spending too much 



174 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

money on arming and manning his galleys and his 
brigantine, which he delighted to command in per- 
son, and sail with as far as the harbour of Ancona. 
For this he had pawned his massive gold chain and 
his houses in Fano — even his costly garments, so that 
he was reduced to beg some cloth from one of the 
Salviati. And all this time Maria saw to her house- 
hold in Florence, watched over little Cosimo, and 
did her best to settle up the business affairs between 
her husband and his nephews, the sons of the late 
Pietro Francesco. Time had mellowed and softened 
her passionate affection for her Giovanni ; she was 
learning to work as of old for his interests, but at 
the same time to bear his absence with increasing 
patience, and his faults with a broader toleration. 

At length the Holy League of Cognac, signed on 
May 22, 1526, let loose the dogs of war and recalled 
the leader of the Black Bands to his true profession. 
He was to continue in the service of the Pope and 
France, whose King had broken all his promises to 
the Emperor, and who was once more about to tempt 
fortune in that ever-coveted land of Italy, although 
he would not risk his sacred person again. On 
June 6 Giovanni received from the Papal treasury 
2,500 ducats to raise 2,000 foot-soldiers, soon increased 
to 4,000 and Guicciardini met him at Modena with the 
Papal brief. This curious document, written in bad 
Latin, protested that His Holiness was only fighting 
to preserve the peace of all Christendom; it gave 
the highest praise to Giovanni, and added : "... Of 
all our infantry and that of Holy Church, such as 
it is and will be, we make and constitute you Captain- 
General, by these presents. . . " 

The only authority above him was that of Federico 



HOLY LEAGUE OF COGNAC 175 

of Mantua and Francesco Guicciardini, Lieutenant- 
General for the States of the Church, who wrote 
from Modena on June 15 : " We start from here 
to-morrow morning, the Lord Giovanni and myself, 
and I cannot desire a better disposition, from all 
points of view, than he shows at present/' His 
gentleness even went so far as to receive under him 
his former captain, Paolo Luzasco, who was now in 
the pay of Mantua. But when he was established 
in the camp formed at Marignano, worse trials than 
this were before him ; Guido Rangone — the ex- 
perienced condottiere from Bologna, who had fought 
in many a war, even against the Turk — contested the 
rank of General, and there was constant discord 
between these two imperious hot-tempered men. But 
fortunately for Guicciardini, who found it impossible 
to keep the peace, the army soon moved towards 
Milan and Giovanni was once more free to throw 
all his tremendous energy into those skirmishes 
where he was without a rival. Since the days when 
he had studied his map of Lombardy to such good 
purpose, he had learnt to know most intimately 
every yard of that country where he had fought 
so often. 

He it was who gave advice where the camp should 
be placed to guard the approaches to Milan, showing 
how he understood the strategy of warfare at the 
same time as he carried out the most astounding 
and brilliant feats of arms which dazzled friends 
and foes alike. His insight and sagacity in planning 
some expedition unheard of in its daring, were only 
equalled by the indomitable spirit and valour with 
which he carried it to a successful end. Even 
Guicciardini, who hated all unnecessary risk, writes 



176 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

with enthusiasm to Giberti at Rome : ' I have 
decided to write to you My Lord Datary, as the 
Lord Giovanni is the very nerve and the soul of 
this camp, and is recognised as such by his friends 
and his enemies." He also adds that this leader, 
to whom they owed everything, had not received 
any pay from France and was in extreme need ! 

Yet he received most flattering messages through 
his envoy in France. He was to take more care of 
himself as his loss would be fatal to the cause. 
" . . . Madame [the Queen-mother] said that the 
Kins: had told her several times that if it had not 
been for Your Lordship being wounded, he would 
never have been taken prisoner and he would never 
have lost the battle. ..." Giovanni delle Bande 
Nere was now inscribed in the service of France for 
" 50 lances, 50 men-at-arms and 100 light horse- 
men," to receive 9,300 francs, assigned on the August 
fair of Lyons. Cantelupo undertook to bring back 
the whole amount, after deducting 260 crowns for 
his expenses. 

The vacillation of the Duke of Urbino, who was 
in command, was a constant grievance to Giovanni. 
Early in July a strong assault was to be made on 
Milan, but when everything seemed to promise 
success, the Duke suddenly gave orders that there 
was to be a general retreat of the army. Before the 
night was well advanced, he himself saw to the 
departure of the Venetian troops and the artillery, 
and he sent word to the other Captains of the League 
that they were to follow him. The dismay was 
universal, yet all reluctantly obeyed except Giovanni, 
who indignantly refused to take part in this shameful 
retreat, vowing that he and his Black Bands would 




HaDfstaen^l, photo. 



Titian : Vienna. 



FILIPPO STROZZT; 



177 



MACHIAVELLI TEACHES " ART OF WAR " 179 

wait until broad daylight. This he did, slowly and 
defiantly retiring in full view of the enemy, and 
without the loss of a single man, always himself 
in the rear, a shield and protection to his company. 

But this retreat was only a passing incident in 
that terrible, long-drawn-out siege. The Imperial- 
ists took possession of the citadel, and the poor 
figure-head of a Duke, Francesco Sforza, retreated 
from the struggle to recover his ruined health. 
Giovanni delle Bande Nere was the very heart and 
soul of the besieging army. With reckless valour, 
he waylaid convoys of provisions and ammunition, 
he carried out the most daring skirmishes successfully, 
ever foremost in attack at the head of his splendid 
companies. Amongst the many incidents recorded of 
him, we are told that he could pierce an enemy 
through and through with his lance, cast him into a 
ditch and ride on, without having brought his horse 
to a stand. 

Bandello tells us an amusing story to relieve the 
gloom of that dreary siege. Machiavelli was sent 
by Florence on an embassy to the camp, and having 
written so learnedly on the " Art of War/' he was 
much interested in talking over the practice of it 
with his old friend Giovanni dei Medici, a fellow 
Tuscan. Anxious to prove his theories, the ambas- 
sador obtained permission to perform a manoeuvre 
with the foot soldiers, according to the rules which 
he had laid down in his book. -" Messire Nicolas 
kept us in that place for two hours under the burning 
sun, trying to arrange the men in the prescribed 
order, but he never could succeed in doing it. All 
the time he talked so well and so clearly, and by his 
discourse showed that the thing was so extraordinarily 

11 



180 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

easy that I, in my ignorance, lightly believed that I 
could myself have arranged this infantry in battle 
order. . . . Seeing that there was no chance of 
Messire Niccolo finishing the business for a long time, 
Giovanni said to me : ' Bandello, I must get our 
men out of this difficulty, in order that we may 
go and have our dinner/ Then, having told Machia- 
velli to retire and to let him command — in the 
twinkling of an eye, by the help of drums, all the troops 
were marshalled in various manners and positions 
to the extreme admiration of the spectators. . . . M 
At dinner Machiavelli laughed pleasantly at his mis- 
adventure of the morning, and turning to his host 
remarked : " My Lord, I feel quite sure that if you 
had not come to my help . . . we should still be 
there in the open field with the sun shining down 
upon us. It is not the first pleasure I have received 
from your Grace and I hope it will not be the last. . . ." 

As time passed, Giovanni grew very weary of this 
camp, with its constant intrigues and petty quarrels. 
He felt homesick for his Tuscany ; he constantly 
suffered from fever, and could not touch the heavy 
cheese of Milan, and asked for the delicate little 
cheeses of the Trebbio, which Maria took care to 
have sent to him, while at the same time she ordered 
chestnuts for Cosimo, who was with her in Florence, 
where they had gone to avoid the heavy autumn 
rains. It is strange, after hundreds of years, to find 
his wife's letters still preserved, beside the gushing, 
adoring effusions of the Aspasias who pursued 
Giovanni so shamelessly, with the help of Pietro 
Aretino, his evil genius, who had joined him in the 
camp. 

Yet nothing interfered with the whole-hearted 



IN PRAISE OF GIOVANNI 181 

devotion of the leader of the Black Bands to his 
warlike duties. Guicciardini breaks out into this 
splendid praise, comparing him to the other captains. 

"Is it my fault if the Lord Giovanni exercises his 
infantry, and if he, Rangone, lets his go to sleep ? 
Is it my fault if the Lord Giovanni is ready to throw 
himself at any hour into the midst of peril, and if 
he insists on having for his companies, captains who 
will fight and who are true soldiers ? And if that 
other [Rangone] has only men unfit for war, without 
reputation and without valour . . . making them 
serve him as a kind of escort . . . ? Is it my fault 
if the Lord Giovanni at all hours meets his foot- 
soldiers face to face, arming them, arranging them 
and making good each company ; and if this other 
one [Rangone] never sees his men, never thinks of 
them, neither arms nor regulates his companies, so that 
they deteriorate. . . . ? And if he [Guido Rangone] 
does not rob them himself, he suffers them to be 
openly robbed by his captains, and so openly that it 
is a shame ! These are the reasons which have 
prevented me from diminishing the foot-soldiers of 
the Lord Giovanni ; on the contrary, if I had my 
way, I would add to them . . . and get rid of all 
the others. ..." 

By such constant representations, the Pope was 
at length worked upon to grant Giovanni the desire 
of his heart ; threatened with losing his services, he 
gave him Fano, the town which he desired with such 
passionate longing. In order to do this, Clement VII. 
had to make amends to the present owner, Commenus, 
Prince of Macedonia, and the gift was to be kept 
secret for the present. But Giovanni delle Bande 
Nere, having been once deceived, felt no security 



182 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

in promises. How indeed could he trust this Pope, 
who kept the Black Bands in his pay secretly while 
he openly proclaimed that " they were in the service 
of the King of France " ? 

Already those terrible landsknechte were cro-sing 
the Alps under Frundsberg, and Clement VII. hoped 
to use his gallant kinsman as a shield and defence. 
Guicciardini would have checked the torrent of 
invasion on the frontiers, or at least at the first great 
obstacle, like the Po ; and the great point and 
necessity was to prevent the junction of Frundsberg 
with the army of the Due de Bourbon. Nothing 
could teach wisdom to the crafty, treacherous Pope ; 
even the raid of the Colonna upon Rome was for- 
gotten, with all the promises which, in his terror, he 
had made to the Emperor. Not even the terrible 
disaster which had just overwhelmed all Christendom 
— when King Louis of Hungary and his whole army 
were defeated and slain by the Turks on the fatal 
field of Mohacs — could rouse the Holy Father from 
his petty intrigues, his blindness and vacillation, 
which were to bring down upon him swift and fatal 
retribution. 

A new element had entered into the tangled politics 
of distracted Italy — the coming from afar of that 
motley horde of Frundsberg, partly composed of 
fanatical Lutherans who looked upon Rome as the 
sink of all iniquity, and the greatest tragedy of 
the Renaissance was steadily drawing near to its 
close. 



CHAPTER XII 

Coming of Frundsberg and the landsknechte — Giovanni checks their 
crossing the Po — He is wounded — Carried to Mantua through 
the snow — Tragic story of his fortitude — Death of Giovanni die 
Medici (delle Bande Nere) — His monuments and its fame. 

Nothing can stay the onward march of those Northern 
barbarians, and once more Italy will be at their mercy. 
At Piacenza they joined the other branch of the 
imperial army under Bourbon, and the Duke of 
Ferrara became their willing accomplice. He was a 
most valuable ally at this moment, for he could supply 
provisions and, above all, artillery, of which the 
landsknechte were destitute. 

As news of this invading flood reached the Pope, 
he was wild with terror as to his personal safety ; 
and at one moment Giovanni delle Bande Nere was 
to bring the Black Bands to his defence in Rome, 
then he was to guard the Adda and the Po. The 
burning question was : Where would the imperial 
troops cross the rivers ? Would it be by the well- 
known bridge across the Po at Borgoforte ? What 
route would they take ? Tidings came that on 
November 21 they were at Castiglione, between the 
Lake of Garda and Mantua ; therefore it seemed that 
they were not bound for Milan. 

Giovanni and the Duke of Urbino turned back 
to meet the enemy, with an army of 9,000 foot- 

183 



184 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

soldiers, 1,000 light horsemen and 600 lances. On 
November 24 there was a rumour at Modena 
that Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, had secretly sent 
some artillery up the river Po. This was mostly 
in the form of falconets — heavy clumsy guns, with 
shot weighing over three pounds, which in that 
transitional state of warfare, betwixt the old and the 
new, were destined to do terrible execution. 

Here, as we pause for a moment before the final 
scene of our drama, we feel carried back to those 
stately tragedies of ancient Greece where, with slow, 
unswerving tread, impending fate advances. As 
in a dream, we watch the secret, stealthy approach, in 
the dead of night, of barges up the river from Ferrara, 
bearing those deadly falconets, the unheeded mes- 
sengers of death. Then, all the events of that fatal 
November day pass before us in grim succession. 
We see the deadly skirmish of the rear-guard to defend 
the passage across the famous bridge of Borgoforte ; 
the brief check of the Black Bands at the hunting 
park of the Serraglio, defended by its broad ditches ; 
and we lament the hours wasted by the weak delays 
of the Duke of Urbino, until Giovanni is almost 
driven wild. 

Then, at length, he has his way. Carrying out his 
usual tactics — a blend of genius and reckless valour — 
Giovanni delle Bande Nere harasses the enemy with 
his far smaller force, secure in the knowledge that 
never in the open country has he known defeat. 
Followed by his dauntless bands, he hurls himself 
upon the serried mass of bndaknechte with theii 
great pikes; like another Hector, ever foremost in 
the fray, he drives all before him, and like that hero 
of old he meets his fate in the very moment of triumph. 



GIOVANNI DEI MEDICI WOUNDED 185 

He had never noticed an entrenchment in a brick-field 
near, behind which a falconet was placed, and from 
whence a well-aimed shot struck him down. As he 
turned his war-horse Sultan, thinking the day was 
won, once more he was wounded in his leg, which 
was only protected in front by the greave, now made 
lighter and smaller than of old. But this was a far 
more serious wound than that of Pavia ; the heavy 
ball had struck him with such force that, as he fell 
from his charger, he was at first thought to be killed. 

As in the case of the Chevalier Bayard, Giovanni 
delle Bande Nere was destroyed by one of those 
modern inventions which both those paladins, war- 
riors of the old style, despised and hated — those 
treacherous guns which placed the bravest knight 
on a level with the mere recruit, and laid low all 
chivalry and valour ! 

Giovanni was in such desperate case that they 
dared not move him at once, even to his own camp. 
In that marshy swamp near Governolo, on the banks 
of the Mincio ; * exposed to the icy blast of a freezing 
wind, beneath the threatening heaven, black as a 
funeral pall, the wounded man endured those first 
hours of agony. An urgent message was sent at once 
to Mantua for the famous Hebrew surgeon Abraham, 
who had been so successful before. Messire Benedetto, 
secretary of the Marchese, writes thus : 

" The Lord Giovanni dei Medici has been wounded 
by the shot of a falconet in the leg, and from what I 
am told is extremely ill. He has not yet been carried 
to his lodging [in the camp] ; the Lord Duke implores 
Your Excellency to order Messire Abraham to come 

* Just before the Mincio joins the Po. 



THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

here at once, flying ! His Lordship has been wounded 
in skirmishing against the 'andsknechte who are 
still at Governolo . . . they fixed many shots of 
falconet, which perplexes everybody here very 
much, for we cannot imagine where they got that 
artillery. . . . 

" The Lord Duke has ordered that the foot-soldiers 
and other troops of this army [the Holy League] who 
are at present here should return to the neigh- 
bourhood of Brescia ; I conclude from this that the 
landsknechte will be no farther pursued, especially 
if they cross the Po, which it is said they will be 
able to do. . . . 

"San Nicolo del Po." (Little village between Borgcforte 
and Ostiglio.) 

Francesco Maria. " Lord Duke " of L'rbino, was only 
too glad of an excuse to draw back from the arduous 
and dangerous task of checking this tremendous 
invasion of Imperialists. Xow he would be free to 
retreat as often as he liked., when the fiery Giovanni 
was no longer there to urge him on and compel him 
to incessant fighting. It has been often questioned 
whether Francesco Maria had some inward weakness 
of character, or whether indeed this desire for 
avoiding battle when he — the Captain-General of 
the Venetians — was practically the head of the 
army of the League, might not spring from a deep, 
smouldering hatred of the Medici family, whose 
head, Leo X. had once so cruelly robbed him of 
his due • 

However, the Dak lot wanting : n due coui i 

and he wrote hi r he next day. to t 

of Mantua to hasten the coming of M 



HE IS BOENE TO MANTUA 187 

" Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Lord, my 
cousin. . . . You will have learnt the misfortune 
which has befallen the Lord Giovanni, and I prayed 
you to send Messire Abraham immediately. ... I 
implore you to do so as soon as possible. . . . 

"November 25, 1526." 

The Marquess of Mantua, Federico, was in a 
difficult position, as he was both Captain-General of 
the Pope, and a feudatory of the Empire ; but he 
could not do otherwise than receive the Giovanni dei 
Medici in Mantua. It was a painful journey for the 
wounded man, to be borne more than seven long 
weary miles in his litter, in the most severe wintry 
weather, through a blinding snow-storm. He was 
escorted by the captains of his Black Bands, their 
hearts full of rage and despair, for never would they 
look upon his like again ; there was no one to compare 
with their gallant leader. His dangerous condition 
seems to have been thoroughly recognised at once. 
The terrible wound was in the same leg which had 
already been injured ; the bones were broken, the 
nerves cut asunder and the muscles torn. But 
Giovanni bore the awful pain without a groan. They 
carried him through the tempest across those " sad 
Virgilian meads/' to the house of his early friend, 
Lodovico Gonzaga, in the city of Mantua, and there 
he was welcomed with the utmost kindness and care. 
All was done for him that the skill of Messire Abraham 
and other doctors could do for him, but they soon 
decided that the only hope was in amputation. 

His friend Pietro Aretino had been sent for in haste 
from the camp, and we cannot do better than tell the 
sad story in the words of his famous letter. His 



188 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

account of the accident and all that happened before 
the arrival at Mantua is of course from hearsay, but 
it is so characteristic as to be worthy of quotation. 

' When the hour drew near, which the Fates, with 
the consent of God, had fixed as the end of our Master, 
His Highness was attacking with his usual terrible 
force Governolo, around which the enemy had en- 
trenched themselves, and while thus engaged a musket 
ball broke the leg which was already wounded by an 
arquebus. As soon as he felt the blow, fear and 
melancholy fell on the army and joy and ardour died 
in all hearts. Everybody forgot himself, and in 
thinking of the occurrence wept, complaining of fate 
for having so senselessly brought to death the noblest 
and most excellent general in the memory of centuries, 
at the very beginning of more than human achieve- 
ments, and in the midst of Italy's greatest need. 

" The captains who followed him with love and 
veneration, blaming fortune and his temerity for 
their loss, spoke of age ripened to bear fatigue, 
sufficient and apt for every difficulty. They sighed 
over the greatness of his thoughts and the wildness 
of his valour, they could not control their voices 
in remembering the good fellowship which made them 
his companions and, not forgetting his foresight and 
acuteness, they warmed with the fire of their com- 
plaints the snow which was falling heavily while they 
carried him to Mantua. . . ." 

Then Aretino carries on the story as a n eyewil n 
and we have no reason to doubt the absolute accuracy 
of his famous letter, as his affection for Giovanni 
delle Bande Nere seems to have been the one true 



ARETINO TELLS THE TRAGIC STORY 189 

sentiment of this vagabond scholar, the witty in- 
spirer of Pasquino, the " Scourge of Princes." 

" Then the Duke of Urbino came to him and said, 
seeing the situation, ' It is not enough for you to be 
great and glorious in arms if you do not also dis- 
tinguish your name by religion under whose sacra- 
ments we are born. 5 And he, understanding that 
these words meant the last confession, answered : 
* As I have done my duty in all things, if need be I 
will do it in this also/ Then when the Duke went 
out, he set himself to talk with me, calling for Sire 
Antonio with great affection. And when I said that 
we would send for him : ' Do you want/ he an- 
swered, ' a man like him to leave the field of war to 
see sick men ? ' 

:e Then he remembered the Count of San Secondo 
[his nephew], saying : ' I wish he were here to take 
my place/ Sometimes he scratched his head with 
his finger, sometimes he laid it upon his lips, saying : 
' What will happen ? * Often repeating : ' I have 
nothing to repent of/ 

" Then, by the wishes of the doctors, I went to him 
and said : ' It would be an insult to your soul if 
I tried to persuade you that death is the cure of ills, 
made heavy only by our fears. But because it is 
the highest happiness to do everything with free will, 
let them cut off the leg broken by the artillery and in 
eight days you will be able to make of Italy, now a 
slave, a queen. And your lameness will serve instead 
of the royal order you have always refused to wear 
on your neck, because wounds and the loss of limbs 
are the medals of the friends of Mars/ 

Let them do it/ he answered, ' at once/ At 



190 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

this moment the doctors came in and praising the 
firmness of his resolution, ended their services for the 
night and, after giving him medicine, went to put 
their instruments in order. It was already the hour 
to eat when he was taken by violent nausea. Then 
he said to me : ' The signs of Caesar ! I must 
think of something else than life/ And with hands 
joined, he made a vow to go to the Apostle of Galatia 
[San Jacopo of Compostella]. But when the time 
was come and the skilful men came in with their 
instruments, they asked for eight or ten assistants to 
hold him while the terrible sawing lasted. 

" He smiled and said : ' Twenty couldn't hold me/ 
Then got ready with a perfectly calm face, and took 
the candle in his hand to light the doctors himself. 
I ran out and closing my ears heard only two cries, 
and then he called me. When I came to him he 
said : ' I am cured/ And turning himself all around, 
made a great rejoicing about it. If the Duke of 
Urbino had not stopped him, he would have had 
them bring in the foot, with the pieces of his leg to 
look at, laughing at us because we could not bear 
to look at what he had suffered. And his sufferings 
were far greater than those of Alexander, and of 
Trajan, who kept a smiling face when the tiny arrow- 
head was pulled out. 

" But finally, the pain which had left him returned 
two hours before day with all sorts of torments. I 
heard him knocking hastily on the wall of the room. 
The sound stabbed me to the heart, and pelting 
dressed, in an instant I ran to him. As soon as he 
saw me, he commenced to Bay thai the thought of 
cowards gave him more disgust than pain, trying by 
thus gossiping with me to set free, by disregarding 



HIS HEROIC FORTITUDE 191 

his misfortunes, his spirit tangled in the pains of 
death. But as day dawned, things grew so much 
worse that he made his will, in which he divided many- 
thousands of scudi in money and stuff among those 
who had served him and left only four julii for his 
burial. The Duke was his executor. Then he 
turned in most Christian mood to his last confes- 
sion, and seeing the friar come : ' Father/ he said, 
1 being a professor of arms, I have lived with the 
habits of soldiers as I should have lived like the monks 
if I had put on the dress you wear. Were it allowed, 
I would confess before every one, for I have never 
done anything unworthy of myself/ 

" At last he turned to me, ordering me to have his 
wife send Cosimo to him. At that, death which was 
calling him to the under world doubled his sadness. 
Already the whole household without any thought 
of the respect due to rank, swarmed round the bed, 
mingled with his chief officers and, shadowed with a 
cold melancholy, wept for the living hope and the 
service which they were losing with their Master, 
each trying to catch his eye with a glance of theirs 
to show their sorrow and love. Thus surrounded, he 
took the hand of the Duke, saying : ' You are losing 
to-day the greatest friend and the best servant you 
have ever had/ 

" His Excellency, masking his face and tongue with 
the appearance of false joy, tried to make him believe 
he would get well. And he, who was not frightened 
by death even when he was certain of it, began to 
talk to the Duke about the result of the war, saying 
things that would have been wonderful had he been 
in full health instead of on the point of death. So 
he remained working with his mind until almost 



192 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

the ninth honr of the night of the vigil of St. Andrew. 
And because his suffering was very gnat, lie begged 
me to put him to sleep by reading to him. I did so, 
and he seemed to sink away from sleep to sleep. At 
last waking after fifteen minutes' dozing, he said : ' I 
dreamed I was making my will, and here I am cured. 
If I keep on getting better like this, I will teach the 
Germans how to make war and show them how I 
avenge myself/ Even as he said this, the lamp of 
his spirit which deceived his eyes, began to yield 
to the perpetual darkness. Wherefore of his own 
accord he asked for the Extreme Unction. 

" Having received the Sacrament, he said : ' I 
will not die amongst all these poultices/ So we fixed 
a camp bed and placed him on it and there, while his 
mind slept, death took him/' * 

The whole scene of this terrible drama rises before 
us like a vivid picture. The marvellous fortitude, 
the supreme power of will, the splendid courage of 
the dying hero are almost beyond belief. We see the 
naive detachment of youth in his eagerness to make 
his will — this princely Medici of twenty-eight, who 
had spent a fortune on his soldiers and who, after 
ten years of fighting, has little to leave beyond 
ambitious hopes and treacherous promises. 

The full text of that curious document is before 
me, with its long rigmarole of a preface giving the 
full names and titles of all the noble witnesses. It 
begins thus : 

" In the Name of Christ, so be it ! 
" In the Year of our Lord . . . 1526, Thursday, the 
twenty-ninth of November ; in the time of the Most 

* Aretino: Lettere, vol. i., 5-9. 



GIOVANNI MAKES HIS WILL 193 

Serene Prince and Emperor the Lord Charles, by 
the Divine grace and clemency of God, King of the 
Romans and ever Augustus. At Mantua, in the 
Palace of the Most Illustrious and Most Excellent 
Lord Luigi da Gonzaga, Marquis, etc. . . . there 
being present . . . " ; and then follow the full names 
and titles of the Duke of Urbino, the Marquis Luigi 
Gonzaga, and others, including the doctor and the 
notary himself, who duly take oath upon the Holy 
Gospels, etc. 

" At present, the Most Illustrious Lord Giovanni, 
son of the late most Illustrious Lord, another Giovanni 
dei Medici of Florence, Captain of the Army etc. 
being clear in mind, sense and intellect, although in- 
firm in body, lying in his bed, considering the mis- 
fortune of human nature, its fragility and weakness, 
and that nothing is more certain than death or more 
uncertain than the hour ; not wishing to die intestate 
. . . has made his will in these terms and declared : 

" First indeed his soul, when parted from his 
body, he piously and devoutly recommends to 
Almighty God and to the Blessed and Glorious 
Virgin-Mother Mary, and to all the Celestial Court ; 

" Next, he has wished, ordered, disposed and left 
by will, the Most Illustrious Lady Maria, wife of the 
said Lord, the Testator, as Guardian and legitimate 
administrator of the son and heir of the said Testator. 
in everything and for everything . . ." and so on. 

But at this point the honest Giovanni has suddenly 
interfered and insisted upon asserting his wishes in 
plain Italian, that there may be no mistake upon the 
subject, and he dictates thus : 

" That the Lady his wife is to be sole guardian 
and Executor for her son Cosimo, his universal heir 



194 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

. . . but that neither she nor her son are to bring 
any legal action against the servants of the Testator 
. . . otherwise all the goods will go to the Hospice 
of the Innocents at Florence. And that the Lord 
Jacopo Salviati and Madonna Lucrezia are not to 
be guardians of the goods or of the son ; and the 
Testator prays His Holiness our Lord the Pope to 
treat his servants well ; and he makes free gift of all 
such goods as furniture, horses and money described 
to his servants ; and on this subject has left the di- 
vision of them to his friend (the Duke of Urbino) . . . 
and he prays the Lord to take under His protection 
Cosimo his son, with the permission of His Holiness 
our Lord the Pope, to whom he commends Cosimo 
most strongly. ..." Then the Will continues for 
another page of Latin scrawling, in which the Notary 
has his own way unmolested. 

The little incident of our warrior's confession is 
very striking, as showing his simple naive faith in his 
own righteousness, and his perfect confidence that 
the Almighty, as the God of battles, thoroughly under- 
stood and approved of all his warlike exploits. This 
attitude of mind recalls to us the words of another 
rough soldier — La Hire — who, in 1423, when on the way 
to a desperate adventure — the relief of Montargis — 
met a priest and begged for absolution. When 
bidden to confess his sins, La Hire replied : "I have 
no time, for I am in haste to attack the English ; 
moreover I have but done as all soldiers are wont 
to do." 

The priest having reluctantly consented to this 
uncanonical act and given him absolution, La Hire 
knelt down by the wayside and prayed thus : " Mon 




Brogi, photo. Bronzino: Florence. 

COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY. 



195 



DEATH OF GIOVANNI 197 

Dieu, I beseech Thee to do this day for La Hire that 
which Thou wouldest have La Hire do for Thee if 
he were~God and Thou wert La Hire." With a con- 

■a 

science at rest, he then continued his journey, made a 
fierce onslaught on the English, and forced them to 
raise the siege of Montargis. 

The death of Giovanni delle Bande Nere took place 
on the night of November 29, in the year 1526, when, 
having made his peace with God and the world, he 
passed away from the scene of his strenuous life, at the 
age of twenty-eight. He was buried on the morrow, 
with all the pomp and splendour of a great military 
funeral. In the full array of a warrior, with plumed 
helmet, cuirass, and complete armour, he was borne 
by the most gallant captains of his Black Bands to his 
tomb in the Church of San Domenico in Mantua, which 
he had himself chosen. With trailing banners and 
muffled drums, the sad procession passed on through 
the silent streets, headed by the Duke of Urbino, the 
Marquis of Mantua, all the Gonzaga family, princes, 
nobles, soldiers, and citizens — all crowding to do the 
last honours to the famous hero, the hope of Italy. 

Not until many years had passed and his descend- 
ants had long been the despots of Florence, would his 
remains be moved from the peaceful Sacristy of San 
Domenico at Mantua, to take their due place amongst 
the sepulchral monuments of the Medici in his native 
city. 

"He is dead — a force of Nature. He is finished — 
the example of an antique faith. He is gone — the 
right arm of battles ! '* mourns Aretino, and his cry 
of despair rings throughout the land. Guicciardini 
was deeply moved : " Let us pray God that He 
may take pity on the soul of the Lord Giovanni, since 

12 



198 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

He was not willing that we should make use of so 
much valour in this, the greatest need that we shall 
ever have. . . . We have lost the Lord Giovanni, 
full of such valour and courage that on him we placed 
all our hopes. . . . We have the universe against 

. and we are alone ! M 

Even the cold Machiavelli, to whom a dead prince 
was of little value, wrote to the Eight of Florence : 
" Your Lordships will have heard of the death of 
the Lord Giovanni, whose loss causes universal 
regret." 

Lamentations echoed beyond the bounds of Italy, 
for Francois I. sent word to Salviati at Rome ; 
" I have felt all possible sorrow for the death of the 
Lord Giovanni, both for the sake of the Pope and 
my own, for I loved the prince greatly. M 

Pope Clement sent a brief to the widowed Maria 
Salviati on December 4, lamenting this " monstrous 
misfortune,'" and full of vague promises for her 
son, while the Bishop of Arezzo assured her that 
Giovanni " had died more gloriously than any other 
man of his race and country." 

Thus mourned the friends and also the faithful 
servants of the dead hero, and we feel with them 
that the loss of Giovanni delle Bande Xere was 
irreparable in that hour of deadly peril. " Had he 
but lived,'" who knows whether, by supreme and 
tremendous efforts, the motley horde which was 
pouring over Italy might not have been arrested and 
driven back ? And even in that last awful moment, 
when the enemy was at the _ befl of Runic, 

how can we tell that a leader like Giuvanni might 
not have roused the Papal Army within the walls, 
stimulated to strength and courage the tmiid citiz- 



MOURNING FOR THE CONDOTTIERE 199 

and so saved the Eternal City from the leaderless 
and disorganised host ? 

If the death of Giovanni was so great a disaster 
for his country, what shall we say of the loss to his 
wife — to Maria Maddalena Romola — the sympathetic 
companion of his childhood, the loving wife of his 
youth, the devoted helpmate and champion of those 
following years of contest and struggle ? Maria had 
never failed him — through sunshine and storm, 
through his fleeting hours of devotion, his long 
months of careless neglect, she was ever steadfast 
and true. This was the crushing mishap — the end of 
all things ; the constant dread of her life, which had 
haunted her by night and day as she thought of his 
reckless valour. When Giovanni was in the field, 
his wife could never watch the approach of a mes- 
senger without seeing in him a bearer of evil tidings, 
without trembling and turning pale. As she says 
in one of her letters : " The sound of footsteps is 
like a knife in my heart . . ." ; thus forestalling her 
date of fear. And now that the blow had fallen, 
what would become of her ? Yet her sorrow is 
but the common lot of the soldier's wife ; the price 
of war in every age. 

In his brief life, so crowded with valiant deeds, 
the young condottiere had proved himself the true 
inheritor of the strong passions, the dauntless spirit, 
the ardent courage of his mother, Caterina Sforza, 
the great Madonna of Forli. It is difficult for us to 
realise this type of the mediaeval warrior, in the very 
heart of the Renaissance. But if we stand in the 
Bargello of Florence, before the famous bust of Gio- 
vanni dei Medici — that masterpiece of San Gallo — 
we may catch some faint reflection of the rugged 



200 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

strength and mighty personality of the great captain. 
We see him in no courtly tournament-suit, but in 
the rude heavy armour of his own Black Bands — 
his massive chest protected by a solid " carapace," 
an enormous pauldron or " guard " covering the left 
shoulder like a shield ; his bare head revealing the 
low broad forehead of the man of action, lined with 
anxious thought. As we gaze upon that face of 
tragic energy and power, we dimly feel that here 
is one who could leap on his horse with a wounded 
soldier in his arms, who could lead a forlorn hope to 
victory, and on his deathbed hold a torch to guide 
the surgeon's knife. 

Other memorials of Giovanni still exist, but, by 
some irony of fate, the great statue, with its massive 
pedestal, ordered of Bandinelli by the Grand Duke 
Cosimo for his father's tomb, has found its way to 
the noisy crowded market-place of the Piazza di San 
Lorenzo. Here the hero of national legend seems 
to have settled down into his rightful place amongst 
the people of Florence, in their daily life. He is one 
of themselves, and in merry mood they sing : 

Messer Giovanni delle Bande Nere 
Del lungo cavalcar noiato e stanco, 
Scese di Cavallo e si pose a sedere. 

But the true monument which Giovanni left 
behind was his company of the Black Bands. This 
was the supreme work of his short life ; his clear 
title to immortal fame. In these bands, as we have 
seen, every individual soldier was chosen and trained 
with ceaseless, untiring vigilance ; sternly and la- 
boriously brought to a perfection of discipline never 
before attained, and then treated with unheard-of 



HIS MONUMENTS IN FLORENCE 201 

generosity by their captain, who spent his fortune 
on their pay and gave them freely all the spoils of 
war, keeping nothing for himself. All his captains 
distinguished themselves and became famous in 
their various posts, his last favourite — specially 
mentioned in his will — Luca Antonio Cuppano, being 
made Governor of Piombino. The fame of the Black 
Bands lived for centuries, and won the admiring 
praise of the greatest generals of later days. The 
most famous condottiere of the Renaissance needs no 
other monument. 



PART II 



A FEW WORDS OF INTRODUCTION 

It had been my first intention to close the story of 
Giovanni delle Bande Nere on the tragic note of his 
untimely death. But on further thought I see that 
the dramatic interest of this work would be greatly 
increased by carrying on the tale and pointing out 
the striking contrast between Giovanni and his son 
Cosimo — both in their character and their life. 
As we have seen with regard to this warrior Medici, 
to whom battle was the very joy of his being, the 
result of all his valiant deeds was but empty fame 
and splendid failure, when he was struck down on 
that Mantuan plain by the new artillery which he 
had hated and despised. 

The same may be said of his mother, Caterina 
Sforza, the Madonna of Forli ; all her gallant life 
of fierce struggle and conflict was destined to end 
in defeat and exile. 

But the boy Cosimo, the cold-hearted, silent, un- 
natural son of Giovanni dei Medici and Maria Sal- 
viati, was to meet with a far different fate. He was 
to reap where his father and his ancestors had sown ; 
he was to pass unscathed through perils in which 
his kinsmen fell around him ; in his one person he 

203 



204 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

was to combine all the savage instincts of the Sforza 
with the mean prudent vices derived from the 
diplomatic Medici, whose race he was to crown with 
their highest triumph when he should be proclaimed 
Cosimo L, First Grand Duke of Tuscany. 

Where the father had fought with gallant spirit 
and courage, fiercely and successfully, to forward the 
aims of Pope or King — often without reward, not 
even receiving the pay for his soldiers ; giving to 
them all the spoils of war ; setting prisoners free 
without ransom — the son was to fight for himself, 
with crafty intrigue, with deadly weapons of perfidy 
and secret crime, and to win thereby his own advance- 
ment — the highest dignity ever acquired by a lay- 
man of Florence. Where war had been for Giovanni 
the passionate pursuit of his life, moulding and 
tempering him by sternest discipline until he became 
like a polished blade of Damascus to serve the cause 
he adopted, war to Cosimo was to be merely a 
means to his own private advantage — when he put 
on an inlaid cuirass over his embroidered coat, 
wore a plumed helmet, and rode a showy war-horse — 
for the destruction of his rivals and the enslaving 
of his country. While the captain of the Black 
Bands was a born sportsman and soldier — whose 
earliest instinct was to hunt and pursue, until he 
learnt to wield the sword, to pierce with the lance 
and crush with the mace, to lead the sortie, to scale 
the fortress — his son and successor had reverted 
to another type, and carried his instinct of crafty 
diplomacy and cold-blooded intrigue far beyond the 
extreme limits of even Machiavellian policy. 

The history of Cosimo I. is the more interesting 
to trace out and follow, as it appears to be little 



COSIMO I. GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 205 

known, for all the familiar historians of Florence 
usually come to an end on reaching the downfall of 
the Republic* I have been far afield to seek for 
materials in the original contemporary chronicles, 
which require to be carefully sifted amongst the 
mass of documents written by the crowd of flatterers 
who hung round the Courts of the Grand Dukes of 
Tuscany. 

The whole story of the rise and progress of this 
remote scion of the house of Medici to the first 
position in the State, is one of absorbing interest, 
and throws the most curious sidelights on the state 
of society, and the manners and customs of Italy 
in this, the latter end of the Renaissance. 

* As Roscoe says : " The Florentine historians, as if unwilling 
to perpetuate the records of their subjugation, have almost invariably 
closed their labours with the fall of the Republic." 



CHAPTER XIII 

Concerning Maria Salviati, the widow of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 
and Cosimo his son — After Giovanni's death — Cosimo sent to 
Venice for safety, with his tutor Riccio — The child's education — 
Maria shows her gratitude to her husband's friends — Revolution 
in Florence against the Medici. 

Maria Salviati was at Florence, in her palace on 
the Corso, when the news of Giovanni's death reached 
her. At length the blow had fallen — the disaster 
which she had so long foreseen and dreaded ; but 
no previous foreboding of evil could break the shock 
of grief. She had lost her warrior husband, the one 
love of her life ; in the flower of his prime he had been 
taken from her; she was alone to face the world 
for herself and their child. The young widow — 
she was only twenty-seven — shut herself up in her 
darkened chamber, hung with black, and would see 
no one ; but she gave strict orders that her boy 
Cosimo, then barely seven and a half, was not to be 
told the terrible news of his father's death. 

Letters of condolence soon came in from every 
side, full of laments for the loss of Giovanni delle 
Bande Nere, and of promises of help for his young 
son. The Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria, wrote 
that he was seeking to obtain from the King of France 
the company of light horsemen, of which her husband 
had command, for the young Cosimo. But this 
letter only added to her anxiety, for would not the 

206 



THE WIDOW OF GIOVANNI 207 

next step be for the King of France to demand the 
presence of Cosimo, that he might be brought up 
at the French Court ? 

Next came the respectful homage and condolence 
of the captains of the Black Bands, praying that she 
would suffer the young Signor Cosimo, the son of 
their beloved lord, to be brought up in their midst 
to take his father's place some day. It only needed 
this, to drive poor Maria nearly wild with anxiety and 
terror. She could refuse it to-day, but what new 
demand of friend or enemy might come to her on 
the morrow ? Her boy, the only comfort she had 
left, would be stolen from her ; she was certain of 
it ! Something must be done at once ; there was 
not a moment to lose. 

The Princess Maria sent in haste for Messer Pietro 
Francesco Biccio, her son's tutor. The boy must 
leave Florence at once ; he was not safe there for 
another hour. The subject was discussed, and the 
mother suggested the Villa of Castello, but Messer 
Biccio argued that if Cosimo was not safe in Florence, 
no other place in the territory of the Bepublic was 
a sure refuge for him. Would not Venice be a suit- 
able place — that hospitable city which, like an inn, 
received exiles from all countries, who remained in 
security so long as they did nothing to offend the 
State ? It is quite possible that the tutor thought 
it would be much less dull for himself in the gay life 
of Venice than in a villa in the country. 

Thus matters were at length settled. Madonna 
Maria, in her deep mourning, could not travel, and 
she must spend several months in retreat in her 
favourite convents near Florence, where she would 
have masses said for the repose of her dear lord's 



208 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

soul, and pray for him. Meantime, Messer Riccio 
was to depart at once to Castello with Cosimo, who 
was often sent into the country for his health, and 
would make no difficulty. Then, as soon as an escort 
was provided and other arrangements made, the 
tutor and his charge would continue their journey 
to Venice. At this time, the end of the year 1526, 
Maria Salviati had another reason for anxiety about 
her son's remaining in the city, for those terrible 
landsknechte, under Frundsberg, were on their way 
into Italy, and it was greatly feared that Florence 
would be their first point of attack ; already many 
of the chief inhabitants were preparing to leave if 
necessary. 

So little Cosimo was taken to the Villa of Castello, 
where he met his old friend Fortunati, who took care 
that he should have plenty of amusement, such as 
catching little birds in nets and playing with his 
dogs and riding his pony. The old priest's affection 
for Giovanni dei Medici had been carried on to his 
son, and it was with a sad heart he took leave of the 
boy and went back to " la Topaia," the villa on 
the hill above Castello, which was given to him later 
and where he ended his days. 

The little prince, with his tutor Riccio and an 
escort of Florentines, now set forth on horseback 
for his journey through the Mugello and the moun- 
tains beyond, resting at Cafaggiolo, at Marradi, and 
at Faenza before reaching Ravenna. From that 
ancient city they embarked in a rude flat-bottomed 
boat, of the primitive kind, which from time im- 
memorial had been used for crossing the shallow 
lagoons of Comacchio, until they arrived in the 
dominion of the Duke of Ferrara. His friendship 



COSIMO SENT TO VENICE 209 

for the Medici was more than doubtful, and the 
travellers made but a short stay at Volano, resting 
for the night at the rich Benedictine Abbey of Pom- 
posa. In crossing a patch of marshy ground, a slight 
mischance befell : the horse, on which Cosimo was 
riding in front of a groom, stumbled and fell in the 
mud, and the bridle was broken, but nothing worse 
came of it. The boy was very much annoyed, and 
in writing to his mother took care to deny that 
anything of the kind had happened. The next day 
the party had to take to the Eiver Po and the sea 
again, to the great alarm of some of their Florentine 
followers, but they all arrived without further ad- 
venture at Chioggia. From thence, after a change 
of boats, they passed along that shining highway of 
the sea, through the lagoons which seemed to stretch 
to the horizon and, through the smooth waterway, 
they reached the fair city of Venice in safety. 

Here the exiles took up their abode in the palace 
called later the Casa Cappella, in the Contrada of Santa 
Maria, Mater Domini, " with a large and beautiful 
garden " ; the whole, we are told, hired by Messer 
Riccio for twelve ducats and a half. When they 
were safely established here the tutor carried out 
the directions which he had received from his mis- 
tress. He took his pupil into a room apart, and 
solemnly informed him of the death of his father, 
with full official details. Cosimo listened in silence, 
with frigid attention, and replied calmly : " Well, I 
thought it was so/' He did not allude to the subject 
again, but it was noticed that he was more reserved 
and haughty in manner than usual. 

For the sake of his father, who had died righting 
on the side of Venice, the boy received a warm 



210 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

welcome, and was entertained with a magnificent 
banquet and gorgeous entertainments. This child 
of seven and a half was even admitted to sit in the 
great Council of the Republic on February 1, and 
he is said to have behaved with the utmost dignity, 
as though such honours were his by right. A clever, 
handsome boy, with all the prestige of his family 
and antecedents, Cosimo was made much of by the 
fair ladies of Venice ; he and the tutor having a very 
gay, pleasant time in that city of sunshine and enjoy- 
ment. Unlike his father, who hated books and 
whose taste was all for out-door sports, the boy 
early appreciated the importance of learning, and 
devoted himself with exemplary industry to his 
studies. His mother, Maria Salviati, had always 
taken the greatest interest in his lessons, and had 
most carefully chosen his teachers. Of course, in 
after-days, the flattering chroniclers of his Court tried 
to make him out an infant prodigy of learning ; still 
there seems to be no doubt that in Latin, for instance, 
he acquired enough sound knowledge to enable him 
to converse easily in later life in that language, with 
the ambassadors and foreigners who sought his 
presence. 

We are told that he studied Roman history with 
special interest, and possibly the examples of ancient 
tyranny and perfidy were not lost upon the precocious 
child. Meantime his mother was not too much en- 
grossed in her devotions and her conventual life to 
keep careful watch over him from afar. Every week 
she received one or two letters with regard to his 
progress and well-being, and the boy seems to have 
written frequently to Fortunati to inquire about his 
belongings at Castello. He required the most precise 






COSIMO'S LIFE AT VENICE 211 

answers to all his questions, and was particularly 
anxious that the kind priest should "keep a good 
store of thrushes for him in cages, and that they 
should be well fattened and ready for his return/' 
At his age, this was a curiously practical and by 
no means sentimental view to take of the poor 
thrushes ! They were of a very special kind, the 
" tordi," fed on scented berries and thought worthy 
of a sonnet by Machiavelli. 

Meantime the little prince flourished and grew fat 
himself in that peaceful life, probably much less 
strenuous and exacting in the absence of his mother 
who, with her passionate affection and nervous tem- 
perament, must have been always rather difficult to 
live with. We hear of an adventure which befell 
him one day when he was playing in the " beautiful 
garden," a rare and choice addition to a Venetian 
palace. He fell into the adjoining canal, and not 
being much of a swimmer, was in serious danger, 
when one of the young cousins who shared his home 
in Venice, Signora Luisa d'Appiano, rushed to his 
assistance, caught him by his hair, and held him 
until a passing friar waded into the deep water and 
brought him safely ashore. It is mentioned as a 
proof of Cosimo's noble heart that in the days to 
come, when he was Grand Duke of Florence, he 
obtained for this friar a bishopric from the Pope. 
There may have been a touch of vanity in this act 
of belated gratitude, everything pertaining to his 
precious self being of supreme importance to the 
mighty prince. We are tempted to wonder whether 
he slapped the little girl for pulling his hair. She 
was a daughter of Maria Salviati's sister Elena, who 
married Giacomo V. of Appiano, Lord of Piombino. 



212 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Lorenzino and Giuliano del Medici, the sons of Piero 
Francesco dei Medici and Maria Soderini, a cousin of 
Maria's, appear to have been educated for some time 
with Cosimo, but he loved them none the better for 
that, as we shall see in days to come. 

The generous-hearted, loving Maria could refuse 
nothing to her kindred who, in the troubled state 
of Florence at that time, were only too thankful to 
find a safe haven for their children. The poor widowed 
mother felt terribly this long separation from her 
beloved Cosimo, yet she remained on in her convents 
until, on April 26, 1527, she opened with great state 
her deserted Villa of Castello, to receive, with the 
utmost honour, Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, 
the Provviditore of Venice, and other old friends and 
companions in arms of her husband's. They had 
fought with him in that last fatal war ; they had 
stood by his death-bed and been pitiful witnesses 
of his heroic fortitude and agony, and we wonder 
how they softened the tragic story to meet the ear 
of the woman who loved him. She could not do 
enough to show her gratitude, and the magnificence 
of her reception was long remembered at Castello. 
The Duke had only come with a small company in 
attendance, for the bulk of the army was awaiting 
him at Barberino, in the Mugello, made famous by 
the poem of the great Lorenzo dei Medici, " La Nencio 
da Barbarino/' 

Did Maria keep a record of that eventful meeting, 
and write down all that she heard concerning her 
beloved Giovanni ? We know that one of her first 
thoughts, when the news of her widowhood reached 
her, was to have his story recorded, beginning with 
the first fourteen years of his life, when she fell that 




Urogi, photo. 



Bronzino : Florence. 



COSIMO I., GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY. 



195 



MEDICI EXPELLED FROM FLORENCE 215 

she had been a mother to the boy (a year older than 
herself), " had brought him up, and recognised in 
him the signs which foretold his magnanimous and 
unconquered soul, and all that he has so gloriously 
accomplished." 

There was now nothing to keep the Princess Maria 
any longer away from her son, and she at once made 
preparations for her journey to Venice. She had 
every reason to hasten her departure from Florence, 
which was in a desperate condition, with the hostile 
army of Frundsburg and the friendly troops under 
the Duke of Urbino both devastating her territory. 
A siege had seemed imminent, but on the approach 
of the Papal forces the landsknechte had moved on 
towards Rome. However, the coming of the Duke 
of Urbino hastened the domestic crisis, in this way. 
Silvio Passerini, Cardinal of Cortona — who governed 
the city since 1524, in the name of Pope Clement VII. 
— in company with Ippolito and Alessandro went 
out to visit the Papal camp, and a rumour imme- 
diately spread that the Medici had fled. The cry 
of " Popolo e Liberta ! " rang through the streets, 
and the citizens took possession of the Palazzo 
Vecchio. The Cardinal at once returned with a 
strong force of the Duke of Urbino's troops, and 
would have stormed the Palazzo, but Francesco 
Guicciardini — the historian — induced the people to 
come to terms. " You have the doves in the dove- 
cote, wring their necks/' was the advice given to 
the Cardinal of Cortona ; but he was a timid man, 
and only inflicted a few tines. 

This outbreak showed the state of popular feeling, 
and it was not long before matters became far more 
serious. When the news of the capture of Rome 

13 



216 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

and the captivity of the Pope reached Florence, the 
people rejoiced, and resolved to throw off the yoke 
of the Medici which they had so unwillingly endured. 
All the chief citizens presented themselves before the 
Cardinal of Cortona, and requested him to leave the 
city, with the two bastard Medici — Ippolito and 
Alessandro — of whom he had the charge. However, 
it required the strong intervention of Filippo Strozzi 
and his high-spirited wife Clarice, of the elder Medici 
branch — who despised all these illegitimate scions, 
from the Pope downwards — before Passerini could 
understand that his fall was inevitable. It was not 
until May 17, that the cardinal and the two boys 
were escorted out of the city, and Niccolo Capponi 
was appointed to the chief authority, under the name 
of Gonfalonier. Thus took place the bloodless revo- 
lution which preceded another act in the drama of 
Florentine government. 



CHAPTER XIV 

Anecdote of Cosimo's childhood — His mother, Maria Salviati, joins 
him at Venice — Sack of Rome, 1527 — A catastrophe for all the 
Medici — Plague at Florence — Maria and Cosimo at the Trebbio — 
Their narrow escape and flight — Charles V. crowned Emperor at 
Bologna, 1530. 

The violence of feeling in Florence against the Medici 
had made the departure of Madonna Maria Salviati 
almost as abrupt as a flight. She was greatly dis- 
tressed at the expulsion of the Cardinal of Cortona, 
who had always been a great friend of hers and had 
taken a special interest in little Cosimo. He liked 
to have the child frequently at his palace, and on 
one occasion, about a year before, a curious incident 
had happened. Cardinal Passerini had matters of 
state importance to discuss with the two Medici 
Princes who were in his charge — Ippolito, who was 
supposed to have been the son of Giuliano dei Medici, 
Duke of Nemours, and Alessandro, whose birth was 
still more doubtful. He was reputed to be the son 
of the late Lorenzo dei Medici, Duke of Urbino, but 
the affection shown him by Clement VII. gave strength 
to the general opinion that the Pope was his father. 
In any case his mother was a mulatto slave, and 
Alessandro had the dark skin, thick lips, and curly 
hair of a negro. 

These two promising youths were in deep conver- 
sation with the Cardinal, when it was suddenly noticed 

217 



218 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

that little Cosimo had been present in the chamber 
all the time. Passerini sought to make amends for 
his carelessness by causing the child, who was about 
six years old, to solemnly promise that he would 
never repeat a word of anything he had heard. 
When he went home his mother asked him why he 
had been away so long, and what he had done. 
Cosimo replied that he had promised not to tell 
anything which he had heard or seen at the cardinars 
palace. This naturally excited Maria's curiosity, and 
as he persisted in his silence, she at length lost her 
temper, and the old chronicler, Manucci, declares that 
she gave him a " guanciata M (a box on the ear !). 
Great capital was made of this story in the days of 
Cosimo 's greatness. He was compared to the Roman 
boy Papirio, who would not reveal to his mother 
what had been said in the senate. At least we 
perceive one thing : that from his earliest years the 
young prince was learning the value of silence as 
an accomplishment. 

Before Maria reached Venice she heard the news 
of the terrible disaster which had befallen Rome, 
and of the imprisonment of Pope Clement VII., for 
which his own vacillation and perfidy had so long 
prepared the way. Maria Salviati wrote the Holy 
Father a letter of condolence, which came from her 
heart ; for what indeed was to become of her as well 
as the other Medici, if no help could come to them 
from Rome. The poor lady was greatly worried and 
distressed, for living in Venice was very expensive; 
ready money was constantly required for everything, 
and she knew not where to procure those necessary 
gold crowns. 

As time passed on, matters became worse, for there 



SACK OF ROME, 1527 219 

was a most serious outbreak in Florence of the plague 
which had been threatening for some years. As 
Machiavelli, who was an eyewitness, wrote : 

" Our Florence is like a town which has been sacked 
by infidels. Its streets, once so clean and beautiful 
and the resort of rank and fashion, are reeking with 
filth, and so crowded with wretches crying for aid, . . . 
that to walk in them is difficult and alarming. Shops 
are shut, work has ceased, courts of justice are gone, 
law is powerless, theft and murder are rife. The 
squares and markets, once thronged with citizens, 
are now graveyards or dens of thieves. Men walk 
alone, and there are no more friendly greetings — only 
meetings between the plague-stricken. Kinsman 
shuns kinsman ; brother, brother ; the wife, her 
husband ; and, worse still, fathers and mothers 
abandon their little ones." 

We are told that when the citizens were summoned 
by the Priori to the Grand Council, only about ninety 
ventured to appear, and they sat as far away from 
each other as possible, to avoid the risk of contagion. 

Cosimo's mother found herself reduced to great 
straits, for she could have nothing sent from her 
palace in Florence, or even from the Villa of Castello. 
All the baggage was subject to a most rigorous 
examination, for the Customs of Venice were in 
terrible fear of contagion, and nothing was admitted 
from Florence. All the papers and letters of this 
period have evidently passed through fire, vinegar, 
and other disinfectants, for they are mutilated with 
stains and half burnt. 

Maria Salviati kept up a constant correspondence 
with her old friend Fortunati, sometimes dictating 



220 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

her letters to Riccio the tutor, but often writing 
" with her own hand " when she was in her most 
bitter mood of complaint and recrimination. Poor 
Fortunati, in his hill refuge at Topa'ia, must have had 
a trying time when, after the escape of Clement VII. 
from Rome, the hungry tribe of the Medici once 
more claimed the Pope's help and support. Maria 
can scarcely find words strong enough to urge her 
pressing need of money. Again and again she urges 
Fortunati to put forward her importunate demands : 

"If you were a true friend you might persuade 
His Holiness to provide us, Cosimo and myself, with 
a suitable pension in order that we might be able 
to live without plaguing him in this way every day. 
Do remind him that it is now a whole month since I 
have received a denaro ; that I have been obliged to 
pawn everything that I have, all my chains even, 
and that I have nothing left to offer as security. . . . 
For in short, after all, I am the niece of a Pope 
Clement, the wife of a Lord Giovanni, and that I 
should be reduced to beg like this ! . . ." 

She writes later to another friend that " her poor 
son is at the point of famine, overwhelmed with mis- 
fortunes, so that he needs help from Heaven to deliver 
him from his troubles/ ' 

Meantime Florence was carrying on a republican 
form of government, under the difficult rule of 
Niccolo Capponi, the son of that Pietro Capponi 
who made the memorable reply to the insults of 
Charles VIII. : " If you sound your trumpets, we will 
ring our bells ! M Although the people of Florence had 
thrown off the rule of the Medici, they si ill showed 
so much tolerance towards the family — their palaoefl 



COSIMO AND HIS MOTHER AT FLORENCE 221 

and goods being protected — that after nearly a year 
at Venice Maria Salviati thought it a safe and dip- 
lomatic plan to return to Florence when all fear of 
the plague was over. Still it was not a pleasant 
home-coming, for she was most indignant to find that 
the faction of the " Arrabiati " had pulled down the 
Medici arms from all the public buildings and de- 
stroyed the waxen effigies of the Medici in the Church 
of the Annunziata. Worse than this, most of her 
friends were in exile or held an inferior position, 
which the proud spirit of Giovanni's widow could 
scarcely endure. Her only comfort was to devote 
herself with renewed energy to the education of her 
young son, on whom all her hopes were now centred. 

The loving, impulsive mother never lost faith in 
her Cosimo's ultimate greatness, for had it not been 
foretold by more than one augury % She could never 
forget that far-off day already alluded to, when 
Giovanni delle Bande Nere was riding home in 
triumph through the streets of Florence, and, looking 
up at his palace in the Corso, saw his infant son 
at the window, in the arms of his nurse. " Throw 
him down to me ! '' commanded the father, and 
catching the child in his arms, he spoke those 
prophetic words : ' You will be a Prince one day ; 
it is your fate ! M 

Then again, could it be a mere chance which had 
caused the joy-tires for Cosimo's birth, lighted on the 
heights of the Trebbio, to be repeated and carried on 
from one hill-top to another, by Cesena, Faenza, and 
Ravenna, until from the bleak Mugello to the Adriatic, 
throughout the whole of Romagna, the summer sky 
was aflame with magnificent lights, rejoicing for some 
unknown triumph ? Had not his future greatness 



222 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

been foretold by astrologers, when they cast his 
horoscope, in the House of Capricorn ? At least his 
mother believed in him, worshipped him, gave her 
life entirely to him — was probably unwise and in- 
judicious in her treatment from undisciplined affec- 
tion — and all the time was preparing a sword to pierce 
her own heart. It was a curious and appropriate 
chance which had given him a Malatesta Baglioni as 
his godfather ! 

Florence was passing through a most troubled time 
within her walls, but we have not space to dwell 
upon the intrigues of the various factions. There 
was still more danger from without, as the Pope had 
never forgiven the expulsion of the Medici governor, 
and had now combined with the Emperor to reduce 
the rebellious city to submission. Michelangelo was 
entrusted in the year 1529 with the task of repairing 
the walls, towers, and bastions of Florence, and 
placing the fortifications in a state of thorough de- 
fence. When news arrived that an army had been 
collected under the command of Filiberto, Prince of 
Orange, for the express purpose of besieging Florence, 
many of the citizens left their homes to seek safety 
elsewhere, and among these were Madonna Maria 
Salviati and her son Cosimo. It was quite time for 
them to leave, for as members of the Medici family 
they were looked upon with suspicion, and were in 
danger of being made prisoners. They set forth at 
once for the fortified castle of Trebbio, which, situated 
high up on the hills of the Mugello, was always 8 
delightful summer resort. There was a special reason 
for this flight. With her usual generosity, Maria 
kept open house here for other exiles from Florence 
who had occasion to dread the ill-feeling of those in 



ESCAPE FROM TREBBIO 223 

power. When this came to be known in the city, 
a secret Council was held and a certain Messer Otto 
da Montauta was sent with an armed force to the 
Mugello to seize the persons of the Illustrissima 
Signora Maria Salviati dei Medici and her son, Signor 
Cosimo — the lady, because she was the daughter of 
the Signor Jacopo Salviati who was in such great 
honour with the Pope, and the boy, as heir of the 
younger branch of the Medici. 

Now Messer Otto had been one of the captains 
of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, and so great were his 
affection and gratitude towards his former master that 
he could not bring himself to betray Giovanni's wife 
and child. It is not quite clear what steps he took — 
whether he went by another way, or whether he sent 
private information of his errand to Trebbio — but in 
any case, Maria had notice of the proposed attack 
in time to escape with Cosimo. They made their 
way across the hill-country and reached in safety 
Forli, the historic city of Caterina Sforza, the mother 
of Giovanni. We wonder how much interest Maria 
and her son took in the heroic story of old, and the 
famous Castello which had been the scene of such 
desperate conflicts ? From Forli they went on to 
Imola, where they found a safe refuge with friends 
of the Medici in the Papal city. 

But alas for the gallant captain who had so gene- 
rously risked his post and his honour to save them ! 
Messer Otto da Montauta, on his return to Florence, 
was tried for disobedience and treachery, cruelly 
tortured, and long confined in a dark prison. 

The next that we hear about Madonna Maria and 
her son is the account by Ammirato of their pre- 
sence at Bologna for the coronation of the Emperor 



221 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Charles V. Much had happened in Europe during the 
two years which had passed since the taking of Rome. 
That event, and the M Ladies'" Peace " recently ar- 
ranged at Cambray — August 1529 — between the aunt 
of Charles V., Marguerite of Austria, and Louise, the 
mother of Francois I., had practically left the young 
Emperor of twenty-nine the arbiter of Europe. The 
King of France had sacrificed his two allies, Florence 
and Ferrara, to the Pope's vindictive vengeance, al- 
though Charles V., in his honest desire for univ. 
peace, would gladly have spared them — as we see 
in all his private letters of the time. 

Never had the ancient city of Bologna seen such a 
galaxy of princes, cardinals, and nobles from ever} 7 
land, to make a fit setting of magnificence for the 
great event which was to take place. The Pope 
would have chosen Rome for the august ceremony, 
but the Emperor, possibly influenced by warnings 
against the perfidy and treachery of the Pontiff, had 
expressed his wish for Bologna, and his word was 
law. Charles V. played so great a part in the future 
of Cosimo, and the story of his coronation is so in- 
teresting, that we will briefly tell it. 

It was as early as November 1 that the Pope arrived 
at Bologna in state, wearing the triple tiara and 
borne on his chair of ceremony, with a train of 
sixteen cardinals. Charles V. made a triumphal entry 
four days later, with a magnificent array of light 
horsemen, artillery, engineers, companies of infantry — 
some with cross-bows, others with pikes and halberds 
— followed by Burgundian horse-soldiers in whit' 
mour, with velvet doublets of yellow, red, and green — 
each one followed by a page on horseback bearing 
.elmet and lance. After all this sup* °ply 



COKONATION OF CHAKLES V. 225 

of war rode the magnificent company of nobles-in- 
waiting, and in their midst the great Emperor himself, 
clad in gold brocade and mounted on a beautiful 
white charger. The meeting between the two po- 
tentates was a stately pageant, which would need 
pages of description to do it justice. 

To my mind the most striking feature was the 
ostentatious humility of the supreme monarch, who 
held the fate of Italy in his hand and on whose vast 
dominions the sun never set. How vividly the ter- 
rible past must have risen before the Pope's mind 
when his victorious foe made low obeisance at his 
feet ! Did Clement VII. feel one pang of remorse 
for the double dealing which had brought destruction 
upon his country and his subjects ? Probably not, 
for he showed no sign of repentance, and his whole 
heart was still set upon deadly vengeance against 
unhappy Florence, the native city of his race. 
Nothing would satisfy his cruel nature but to see 
the fair city of the Medici humbled in the dust ; for 
when ambassadors from every other state and 
country were received with favour, the Emperor was 
not allowed even to admit the Florentine envoys to 
his presence. They returned home in despair to 
their beleaguered city, which the Prince of Orange 
had been ruthlessly bombarding since October, and 
whose case was hopeless, notwithstanding the des- 
perate valour of the citizens. 

Meantime the imposing ceremony of the Emperor's 
coronation took place in February 1530. On the 
22nd he received from the hands of the Pope the 
iron crown of Monza, but the chief event was on 
February 24, the birthday of Charles V. and the 
anniversary of the victory of Pavia. Then, with 



226 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

every circumstance of pomp and magnificence, the 
golden crown of Empire was placed on his head, 
while the heralds proclaimed him as M Emperor of 
the Romans and Lord of the whole world ! " Xo 
tumult of acclamation, of trumpets and bells can 
add force to that proud title, bestowed in the midst 
of a galaxy of such magnificence as neither Mediaeval 
nor Renaissance Italy ever assembled, before or since. 
If Ammirato's statement is correct as to the 
•nee on this occasion of Maria B ilviati and her 
son Cosimo. it must have been a scene which they 
never forgot. It was a great gathering of the Medici 
family, and Alessandro proudly carried the Banner 
of the Church in the procession. 

During this period of exile, we have no v 
reliable account of their doings., but the next we 
hear of is their presence in Rome, where the Pope 
appears to have entrusted to Maria the charge of 
his young kinswoman, Catherine dei Medici. She 
was the daughter and heiress of Lorenzo dei Medici, 
Duke of Urbino, and her mother, Madeleine 
de Boulogne — of the royal family of France — died 
at her birth in 1519. ( rherine was watched over 
with great interest by Clement VII.. who fully 
intended to strengthen his influence by arranging 
some grand marriage for her. Various suitors i 
proposed. One was Guidobaldo, the infant son 
of Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, but the Pope 
aimed higher than this. James V. of Scotland 
was suggested at one time, but the reason Clement 
appears to have given for not o. :.g this 

u that the posts were so expensive to Scotland ! M 
Meantime the little girl had been carefully brought 
up in the convent of th» 



SAD FATE OF FLORENCE 227 

appropriated to her was that once inhabited by 
another Catherine, the great Madonna of Forli. We 
are told that the Medici heiress was a quiet, docile 
child, and expressed the greatest desire to become 
a nun herself — indeed, that she wept bitterly when 
removed from her convent by her kinsman and 
guardian, Clement VII. 

Catherine was the same age as her distant cousin 
Cosimo, and we are disposed to think that they were 
very much alike in character. She is said to have 
been very clever and well taught, and to have dis- 
tinguished herself in Home by her brilliant talk and 
repartee. She does not appear to have cared for 
her reputed half-brother Alessandro, but we are 
told that she was greatly attached to her handsome 
young cousin Ippolito. It may have been merely 
a coincidence, but when Pope Clement began to enter 
into negotiations with Francois I. for the marriage 
of Catherine with his second son Henri, a distant 
mission was found for Ippolito, who did not return 
from Turkey until the wedding was arranged. 

Meantime the fate of Florence had been sealed ; 
the long and terrible siege had ended in the utter 
ruin of the popular and republican government, 
traitors within and without the city having destroyed 
their last hope of success. Just before the city 
surrendered, on August 12, 1530, the leader of the 
besieging army, the Prince of Orange, fell in the 
battle of Gavinana, on the slopes of the Apennines 
just above San Marcello. For some time the city 
was occupied by a strong guard of foreign mercenaries, 
and had to pay an indemnity of 80,000 gold florins, 
while all the exiled Medici were to be recalled. The 
Pope undertook the government, promising to for- 



228 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

give all past injuries and to treat his countrymen 
with affection and clemency, "as he had always 
done ! '' As might have been expected, he kept no 
promises, and all the prominent men who had opposed 
him were put to death in various ways. One of the 
friars of San Marco, who had preached resistance to 
Papal authority, was starved to death in the Castle 
of S. Angelo. When the party of liberty had settled 
down to the quiet of despair, Clement sent Alessandro 
dei Medici, the mulatto, to Florence, where, on 
July 6, 1531, he was declared " Head of the Republic/' 
The Signoria was abolished the next year, and 
Alessandro was created Gonfalonier for life. Hence- 
forward Florence had to submit to " il governo dun 
solo/' which she had been fighting against for cen- 
turies. This was the way in which Pope Clement 
preserved her liberty. 



CHAPTER XV 

Alessandro dei Medici becomes Duke of Florence — Cosimo and his 
mother return home — Maria Salviati accompanies Caterina dei 
Medici to France for her marriage — Murder of Duke Alessandro 
by his cousin Lorenzino (1537) — Cosimo's diplomacy— He is elected 
to succeed Duke Alessandro as Lord of Florence. 

It was not until the year 1533 that arrangements 
were made for the marriage of Catherine dei Medici, 
which had been practically settled two years before. 
At this date the young Prince Henri, second son of 
Frangois I., was fifteen years of age, and his proposed 
bride was fourteen. Clement VII. paid Maria Salviati 
the compliment of requesting her to take charge of 
the young princess and escort her to France. Great 
preparations had been made for the event which, 
it was hoped, would cement the rather precarious 
alliance between the Pope and the King of France. 
With his usual diplomacy Clement had arranged that 
the city of Rome should provide money for the splen- 
did trousseau, the very costly and generous supply 
of jewellery, and even the expenses of the wedding 
journey. Amongst the ornaments we find mentioned 
" a sapphire table, and a diamond cut ' en dos d'ane/ " 
There was also a magnificent necklace of pearls, 
which later came to another dauphine, Mary Stuart, 
and which was finally appropriated and worn by 
Queen Elizabeth of England. 

229 



230 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

A large income was to be settled upon the Princess 
Catherine in the land of her adoption, and the Medici 
Pope had promised her a dowry of 30,000 gold 
crowns, but very little of this sum was ever paid. 
Amongst her ladies-in-waiting there were some so 
young that they had to be accompanied by their 
governesses, and to add to the gorgeousness of 
effect, there were three Turkish maidens in Oriental 
costume. The wedding was to take place at Mar- 
seilles, and one part of the elaborate plan was that 
the Pope was to accompany his young relation and 
perform the ceremony. But when it came to the 
point, Clement felt very unwilling to undertake the 
long journey, and pleaded his age — he was only 55 — 
his uncertain health, and the dust and discomfort of 
travel. However, motives of policy overcame his 
reluctance, and he set forth in great state by sea 
with a splendid wedding party. The young Cardinal 
Ippolito had been] recalled from Turkey to take part 
in the expedition, in order to silence any awkward 
gossip about the bride's affection for him. He 
appears to have been received with special favour 
by the King of France, who offered him various 
costly gifts, but the prudent cardinal wouldonly accept 
a " young Barbary lion," which he took back to 
Florence with him and presented to the city to bo 
kept with the other lions in the Serraglio, still re- 
membered as the " Via dei Leoni." 

Francois I. was also most courteous and friendly 
to the Princess Maria Salviati, whom he honoured as 
the widow of the great condottiere Giovanni dei 
Medici, who had died fighting in his service. The 
King inquired after her son Cosimo, whom lie invited 
to his Court, promising great ollice and emolument. 




Anderson, photo. 



Allori : Prado, Madrid. 



GARZIA DEI MEDICI, SON OF COSIMO 



231 



MARRIAGE OF CATHERINE DEI MEDICI 233 

But Maria never for one moment seriously enter- 
tained the idea of parting with her son on any con- 
dition, and she was probably experienced enough in 
the ways of princes to take all these vague promises 
at their true value. 

The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, but 
we can imagine that the boy-and-girl bridal pair 
were somewhat bored as they stood together after- 
wards, hand in hand on a carpet of gold brocade, 
listening to long orations from Hymen, and to nuptial 
songs in their honour, delivered by classical nymphs. 
We cannot help feeling some pity for the clever girl 
Caterina, finding herself mated to a sulky boy, who 
could rarely be induced to speak a word to her or to 
anybody else. She had evidently taken her future 
life very seriously, for we are told that she had written 
beforehand to King Francois, asking if she might 
receive lessons in dancing at Marseilles in the French 
style, so as to be able to take her part suitably at 
the royal Court. The young princess had a trying 
time before her for some years, as the Italians were 
not popular in France, and the general indignation 
at the non-payment of her dowry was largely visited 
upon her. But she was wise in her generation : she 
could hold her peace and bide her time ; and when 
her day of power came she could seize and enjoy a 
triumphant vengeance. 

In all these points the character and life of Catherine 
greatly resembled that of her far-off cousin Cosimo. 
He too, at the same age of fourteen, was becoming 
an adept in diplomacy. He never made an enemy 
if he could avoid it ; he was always subservient to 
those in authority, and knew how to worm himself 
in their favour. When, during his stay in Home, 

14 



234 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Pope Clement had objected to his wearing the garb 
of a soldier, fearing that this might recall too vividly 
his father's greatness, Cosimo willingly submitted, on 
his return to Florence, to wear the ordinary dress 
of a citizen ; but on the death of the Pope a few 
years later — in 1534 — after his time of mourning he 
cast it aside. We hear much of his humble devotion 
towards his kinsman, the ruling lord of Florence, 
Alessandro, who honoured him with his favour. The 
chroniclers also dwell fully upon the youth's assiduous 
devotion to study, giving most of his time to " letters 
and humanities, and devoting the remaining hours 
to perfecting himself in the art of war, in riding, and 
in the study of music, wherein he became greatly 
proficient, being able to play on various stringed 
instruments, and to sing/' 

It must have seemed almost like old times to his 
mother, Maria Salviati, when she was back in her 
own palace in Florence in December of 1533, witli 
the Medici all recalled from exile and her old friends 
around her. But the temper of the people towards 
her family was secretly more bitter than ever, from 
very hopelessness — their freedom was gone for ever. 
As a symbol of this we notice that, by order of Ales- 
sandro, " La Campana " was taken down and broken 
in pieces, " lest its sound should awaken echoes of 
lost liberty." The last knell tolled on October 1, 1532, 
and it marked the close of the city's greatness. 
" The liberties of a free people and a free Parliament 
were buried in the grave of the Republic of Florence." 

The young Prince Cosimo was rewarded for his 
meek subserviency. When Aleasandro went to 
Naples to meet the Emperor Charles V., who had 
recently conquered Barbaroesa and gained the city 



THE EDUCATION OF COSIMO 235 

of Tunis, he took his cousin with him. Their errand 
was an important one, as the exiles who had been 
driven from Florence, on the accession to power of 
Alessandro and the Medici, had gone to the Emperor 
with bitter complaints of the way in which they 
were persecuted and their country trodden down. 
Apparently Alessandro was able to justify his conduct 
to the satisfaction of Charles V., for he returned to 
Florence in higher favour than ever. Cosimo went 
back to his riding and his singing, and to his diligent 
study, not only of books but of men, which was to 
be so useful to him in the coming years. The young 
Cardinal Ippolito had also started for Naples to 
appeal against Alessandro, but he and his two 
companions died in agony on the way, and no one 
doubted that they had been poisoned. 

There could have been no more undesirable intimacy 
for young Cosimo than that of his cousin Alessandro, 
whose private life was one of shameful wickedness 
and self-indulgence, which made him hateful to the 
people. By the Treaty of Barcelona, in July 1529, 
he had the great good fortune to be promised in 
marriage the illegitimate daughter of Charles V., 
Marguerite, then a child of eight years old. She was 
to be conducted to Naples and well educated until 
she was twelve years old, and then the wedding was 
to take place and she was to receive a dowry of 20,000 
gold scudi. It has been suggested that the Emperor 
yielded this concession with the idea of making some 
amends to the Pope for the terrible disaster and 
world-wide scandal of the sack of Rome. Charles V. 
could know nothing of the young man's character ; 
he only looked upon him as the Pope's favourite 
nephew and the heir of his branch of the Medici. 



236 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

The other cousin, Ippolito, was ineligible for this 
honour, having been made cardinal at the age of 
eighteen. After this marriage had taken place — on 
February 28, 1536 — Alessandro was naturally high in 
the favour of the Emperor, who, as we have seen, 
turned a deaf ear to the complaints made against him. 
This was how it happened that poor little Marguerite, 
who had been adopted in infancy and carefully 
brought up by the great Marguerite of Austria, 
Regent of the Netherlands, found herself in Florence 
as the wife of the notorious Alessandro. One good 
point may be put down to his credit : he had a taste 
for planting and horticulture, and it was he who 
converted the river-mud and sand-banks of the Arno 
into the shady Cascine, now such an adornment to 
the city ; and he also caused trees and shrubs to be 
grown on many farm lands in the neighbourhood. 

Once more Alessandro and Cosimo went together 
to meet the Emperor at Genoa in 1536, when he 
was on his way back from Provence, where he had 
been defeated, and had completely failed at the siege 
of Marseilles, which had again made a most heroic 
defence. This visit had not much result, but at least 
it had the advantage for the younger Medici of keep- 
ing him in the remembrance of Charles V., whose 
support would soon be of so great importance to 
him. We are told that on his return to Florence he 
continued his studies, and was also still engaged in 
a lawsuit, which had lasted for years, with two other 
cousins, Lorenzino and Giuliano, sons of Piero Francesco 
dei Medici and Maria Soderini, concerning property 
which came from their great-grandfather, another 
Piero dei Medici ; the dispute had been carried on 
from the days of Caterina Sforza. 



MURDER OF DUKE ALESSANDRO 237 

This Lorenzino, so called from his small stature, 
was a talented and accomplished young noble, but 
of a wild and turbulent spirit. He had lived some 
time in Rome under the patronage of Clement VII., 
until a disgraceful adventure in which he was sup- 
posed to have taken part compelled him to leave 
the city. He returned to Florence, and soon became 
the intimate associate of Alessandro, joining in all 
his pursuits and apparently encouraging his dissipa- 
tion. But all the time he appears to have formed 
the stern design of playing the part of another Brutus, 
and ridding his native city of the tyrant who oppressed 
it. At length an opportunity occurred. Alessandro 
was persuaded to go to Lorenzino's house in pursuit 
of a base intrigue, and there, on the night of January 
6, 1537, he was murdered, after a desperate struggle. 
Lorenzino was at first undecided whether he should 
openly avow the deed and call upon the men of 
Florence to assert their freedom ; but on further 
consideration, he decided to lock the door of the 
chamber where Alessandro lay dead, to escape at 
once to Bologna, and there announce to the exiles 
that their opportunity had come. 

Thus the murder of the Medici ruler was only 
discovered next morning, and then Cardinal Cibo kept 
the matter secret while he sent in urgent haste for 
the Captain of the Guard Alessandro Vitelli, and 
Ridolfo Baglioni, who commanded the infantry of 
Cortona and Arezzo, bidding them hasten to bring 
as large a force as possible to Florence in order to 
keep the citizens under control. Meantime Loren- 
zino had made good his escape, first to Bologna and 
then to Venice, where he found Filippo Strozzi, who 
at once made the news known to the other exiles. 



238 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

The curious document in which Lorenzino gives 
his reasons for the murder is preserved, and throws 
light upon the hatred felt for the tyrant, though no 
good result can ever come from treachery and assas- 
sination. He declares that, during the six years of 
Alessandro's rule, he had exceeded the crimes of Nero 
and Caligula. He declares that not only did this 
cruel tyrant poison the Cardinal Ippolito and his 
companions, but that he also caused the death of 
his own mother, of whom he was ashamed. . . . Lo- 
renzino explains his reason for flight : he only desired 
to free his country from intolerable slavery ; and he 
ends by lamenting the want of public spirit and 
courage which prevented the men of Florence from 
rising to assert their ancient freedom. Such is the 
account given by the chief actor in this tragedy of 
his vain and futile crime, which only tightened the 
chains of despotism upon his native city. He paid 
the penalty by eleven years of unhappy exile before 
he, in his turn, was assassinated, it is believed by 
order of the Grand Duke Cosimo. 

Aldo Mannucci gives a very full and particular 
account of all that happened after the murder of 
Alessandro. When the news reached Cosimo the 
next day, he was at his castle of Trebbio in the 
Mugello, with a hunting party. Some old soldiers 
who had fought in his father's Black Bands, who 
were stationed near, seem to have approached him 
with the offer of accompanying him to Florence with 
an armed force, to assert his right to the succession. 
But this youth of eighteen was far too astute to run 
any risks, and he dismissed them with thanks, to 
hasten at once to the city and present himself un- 
attended to the cardinal, who was now supported 



PROMPT ACTION OF COSIMO 239 

by troops to hold the citizens in subjection. A 
Council had been hastily assembled at the palace, 
where Guicciardini, Acciajoli, and others discussed 
the question of choosing a Chief Magistrate, and the 
only rival to Cosimo appeared to be an illegitimate 
infant son of Alessandro, whose claims were soon set 
aside. Cosimo himself behaved with so much defer- 
ence and humility that the members of the Council 
felt quite assured he would be entirely guided by 
their influence, being so young and inexperienced. 

The result was not long doubtful. Almost before 
the citizens had learnt what had happened, amidst 
conflicting rumours, the streets were filled with armed 
men who shouted : " Long live Duke Cosimo and 
the Medici ! " and his election was thus carried by 
surprise. We are told that when the young prince 
went to his mother's palace with the first rumour of 
his greatness, Maria Salviati drew him into her most 
private chamber, and thus dramatically addressed 
him : 

" My only son, dearer to me than all things, 
my only hope ; if you have any care for your life, 
give up this desire to be the Lord of those who were 
born your equals and who hate nothing more than 
to have ' one only Lord ' over them, and one who 
was born in their City and subject to their laws. . . . 
You will be in great peril of your life on which mine 
depends. . . . Remember all that I have suffered on 
your behalf since the untimely death of your father, 
that I might preserve you alive ; how I have watched 
over you and defended you with care and diligence 
from foes of your own blood, from deadly pestilence 
and from many dangers . . . and now that I had 



240 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

hoped to reap the fruit of my labours, and pass from 
anxious watching into secure joy, you would give 
me cause for unceasing tears, and end at the same 
time my misfortunes and my life. . . . 

" For I am certain, yea, it is God's truth, that in 
your youth and audacity you will go forth and tempt 
Fortune, and so meet with the atrocious fate of 
the Duke Alessandro. . . . This will of a certainty 
befall him who oppresses the liberties of the State, 
and wishes to become absolute Lord of the people. 
Consider, too, especially with the Family of the Medici, 
how, if you have studied History, you will remember 
that expulsion, exile, and ruin have befallen the most 
distinguished of them, and you will understand that 
Fortune has no sooner shown them her face than 
she turns her shoulder upon them. 

" Let us suppose that, placed as you are, without 
any shedding of blood and without any resistance 
from the chief men of the City, you succeed in ob- 
taining this supreme rank — remembering always the 
rapid changes of envious Fortune — with what heart 
will you become the Governor of a people who for 
so many, many years have maintained their liberty ? 
The love of freedom being such a living thing and 
so deeply rooted in the heart of the Florentines, 
that it may not be extinguished by any means so 
long as their life endures. For them slavery would 
be worse than death. And how will you have the 
heart to take your seat on that throne, which is still 
stained and warmed with the blood of your prede- 
cessor, who died, not so much for the injustice of his 
conduct and the tyranny of his ways, as for being in 
possession of that very post to which you aspire ? 
Pause one moment to think of him whom you desire 



THE WARNING OF MARIA SALVIATI 241 

to follow. Who was the cause of his death ? One 
to whom he was connected by kinship, to whom he 
trusted his person more than any other. . . . How 
much more then had he to expect from those who 
were not his relations, not his friends, but his deadly 
foes ? 

" Now suppose that you easily obtain, and securely 
enjoy for a long time this which you so ardently 
desire, do you not see that you act against the pre- 
cepts of wise men, as I have heard it said many 
times . . . that when there are two sides, one profit- 
able, but not honest ; the other honest, but not 
profitable, we must choose the latter ... for a man 
of noble heart would elect to live as a private citizen 
in a Free State, loved by all good men and feared by 
none, rather than to be in high position and supreme 
power, hated and feared alike by good and evil. 

" For God's sake, Cosimo, give up this enterprise ; 
and if the reasons which I have given do not move 
you, be touched, my son, by these my tears, which 
will flow thus for the few years left to me, in my 
last refuge. And if I still have no power to persuade 
my son, I will turn to Thee, oh God, the sole Foreseer 
of future things, praying Thee that what Thou shalt 
put into the heart of Cosimo to do, may be for our 
good, and for that of our City and our State." 

If poor Maria Salviati really made this fine speech 
on behalf of Liberty, she must have known her son 
too well to believe that it would make any impression 
upon him. The chronicler gives us his answer — full 
of the usual platitudes of a youth, with already the 
instincts of a tyrant, who argues that a despotism 
is the safest and best form of government. . . . 



242 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

After Cosimo bad left the cardinal, there had been 
a very stormy discussion of the Council, and it had 
been at length decided that Cosimo should take the 
name of Head of the Republic, and should be bound 
by the advice of the Signoria, employ no foreigners 
as lieutenants in the city, and be satisfied with the 
modest salary of 12,000 ducats, instead of 18,000, 
which Alessandro had required. They made many 
other conditions, which were meekly listened to, but 
they little knew with whom they had to deal. This 
boy of eighteen had long set his heart upon the 
succession to the post of Alessandro, whose murder 
had only brought it sooner within his reach. He 
listened meekly to all the discussions, but he was 
resolved upon nothing less than absolute power, which 
he would acquire by craft and intrigue. Clement VII. 
was dead, and there was no Medici Pope to support 
him — indeed, the present Pope, Paul III., was a 
Farnese, and entirely opposed to his family. Cosimo 
knew that this was the crisis of his fate, the long- 
anticipated moment when success or failure hung in 
the balance, and everything depended upon himself 
alone. 

He took bold and decided action at once ; made 
sure of the loyalty of Vitelli, the Captain of the 
Guard, and the other leaders of troops ; agreed to 
everything suggested by the Council, and sent mes- 
sengers to the Emperor, Charles V., to inform him 
of the people's choice of himself as " Capo primario 
della Citta di Firenze e suo Dominio," and respectfully 
implored the sanction of His Imperial Highness. He 
had a powerful enemy in Paul III., who looked upon 
the murder of Alessandro as an opportunity for him 
to obtain the Lordship of Florence for his own nephew. 



DIARY OF SIENESE ENVOY 243 

and who at once sent emissaries to Pisa and Florence, 
to incite the people to acknowledge his supremacy. 
It was on January 10, 1537, that Cosimo was publicly 
proclaimed by the Council of the Forty-eight, and on 
that day he appears to have taken up his abode in the 
fortified castello, where the young widowed Duchess, 
Marguerite of Austria, had already sought refuge. 
This strong fortress had been at once taken possession 
of by Vitelli, Captain of the Guard, who murdered 
the castellan. Cosimo remained here till January 18, 
and from this date we have an extremely interesting 
diary of everything that happened during the next 
eventful year, set down day by day, in the hand- 
writing of two nobles from Siena, who were sent by 
that Republic to condole with the widow of the 
murdered Alessandro, daughter of the Emperor. A 
few quotations from this unique record will present 
a very vivid victure of that exciting period. 

From the Letters of Girolamo Spannocchi 

"Jan. 18, 1537. — Arrived safely in Florence, ad 
ore 23. [11 p.m.]. . . . There is quiet in the city 
under the command of Alessandro Vitelli. . . . The 
Lord Cosimo goes about with the same guard as Duke 
Alessandro had, or greater, and thus holds great 
state. . . . This evening he came with the Reverend- 
issimo Cibo from the Citadel, which is guarded by 
500 soldiers, and they took possession of the Palace 
of the Duke Aleso. Hither came the Lord Piero 
Colonna from Genoa, in the service of the Emperor, 
and they all held consultation together. . . . 

" They have this day sent a company of men to 
meet the three Cardinals who come from Rome. 



244 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Giovanni Salvia ti [brother of Maria Salvia ti], Niccolo 
Ridolfo, and Niccolo Gaddi." [Instead of arriving 
peaceably, they were coming armed, and they were 
warned that they could not enter the city thus.] 

" Jan. 19. — This morning, as you desired me, I went 
to visit His Exc. in the Palace of Duke Aless°, and 
there were present many of the first citizens, paying 
their court. ... It is true that there is much dis- 
content, and people ask why the Cardinals were 
delayed ; they are expected to-morrow. Even the 
Card. Cibo said to me : ' What can they do ? We 
have the power in hand and they are disarmed/ 
I hear that no one in Florence or within eight miles 
is to have in his house arms of any kind, under the 
greatest penalties. ... I hear that Filippo Strozzi 
has given 10,000 scudi to raise soldiers [in the neigh- 
bourhood of Bologna, against Cosimo]. 

"Jan. 21. — The three Cardinals entered Florence 
last night at the Ave Maria, with about 100 horsemen 
of their kindred ; and the Lord Cosimo went to meet 
them with about a hundred well-armed men in his 
company, with Card. Cibo, for about a mile outside 
the Porta S. Niccolo. At the entrance all the courtiers 
were examined, and whoever wore a coat of mail 
had to take it off, and no one was suffered to bear 
arms. Their baggage was taken to the customs, to 
see if there were any weapons, as was believed. The 
Signor Cosimo rode in by the side of his uncle, Card. 
Salviati, and Cibo with the other two, and there was 
a great crowd to see the arrival. Strong guards were 
placed round the Palace of the Sig. Cosimo and in 
all the streets adjoining, as if a rising were expected. 
Most of the citizens are very pleased at the coining 
of the Cardinals. . . . 



THE COMING OF THE CARDINALS 245 

" Jan. 23 [ore 19]. — . . . Last night at the meeting 
which was held, the Cardinals were asked whether they 
would agree to the appointment of the Lord Cosimo, 
under the protection of the Emperor. They replied 
that they knew no better way of securing the peace 
of the City, but that they strongly wished for the 
return of the exiles. To this the reply was that first 
other things must be settled, and then they would 
treat about the coming home of those who had been 
exiled. . . . 

" The Cardinals have resolved to have their wishes 
written down by way of a memorial to the Imperial 
side. . . . 

" Great numbers of armed foot-soldiers are con- 
stantly entering the City and are being distributed 
in the houses of the chief citizens . . . and since 
the coming of the Cardinals, no one has been allowed 
to leave the city." [This introduction of soldiers 
was contrary to the promise made to the Cardinals, 
but Vitelli and Cosimo cared nothing for this.] 

"Jan. 25. — Last night the Lord Marquis of Aguilar 
entered Florence and was lodged in the Duke's Palace. 
He was Charles V.th/s ' oratore ' [envoy] to the 
Pope. . . . News came this morning that the three 
Cardinals were leaving, and all their horses and 
baggage were ready, and a great multitude of citizens, 
about 4,000 persons, had collected to see them depart ; 
when Guicciardino and Vitelli arrived with about 300 
armed soldiers and filled the streets round the Salviati 
Palace and talked with the Cardinals and persuaded 
them to put off their departure. . . . Then the Lord 
Aless. Vitelli returned to the Castello, and he never 
goes in or out with less than 200 armed men, as though 
he had to fight ; and in certain places, he has the 



246 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

houses watched before he passes. . . ." [This is ex- 
plained by the fact that he was on very doubtful terms 
with Cosimo, who was jealous of his command of 
the Citadel, which he professed to hold solely for 
the Emperor. It is known that Cosimo had been 
advised to seize him some day when he came to pay 
salute, to make him prisoner and then at once 
to have him thrown out of window into the street, 
traitor who had stolen the fortress.] 

•• Jan. 26. — The three Cardinals had promised that 
the soldiers raised by the exiles in the Val di Chiana 
should be disbanded., and this not having been carried 
out.. ... it was decided that the Cardinal Salviati 
with the Lord Martio Colonna should be sent in person 
to see that this was carried out. A great number of 
armed men were called out. apparently to intimidate 
Salviati. . . . TLey departed this evening, and it is 
believed Salviati will not return. . . . 

" Jan. 28. — Ridolfo and Gaddi were to have gone 
to-day, but they are still here. . . . 

•• Jan . 2S. — We are expecting news of the dispersion 
of the men raised in the Val di Chiana, but no word 
baa come yet. . . .'"' 

The departure of Cardinal Salviati mented 

by the people of Florence, for in the old days his 
family had always been loved and respected, and he 
was looked upon as their friend. It would be a com- 
fort to Maria Salviati to meet her favourite brother 
again ; but knowing the news he held about Cosimo, 
it would be difficult to reconcile her affection for him 
with loyalty to her son. who had attained his hi- 
re, and for whom there was no turning 1 
■ had hoped much from her brother*! taoo 



NO HOPE FOE THE EXILES 247 

for the return of the exiles and the cause of peace ; 
but soon, like everybody else, she must have seen 
that there was no security for Filippo Strozzi and 
the others, in the hollow promises of forgiveness and 
restoration. 

The continued strife was in some measure to be put 
down to the cause of so much woe in unfortunate 
Italy — the long endurance of the rivalry of Charles V. 
and Francois I., between whom war had begun again. 



CHAPTER XVI 

::=:-: iiiiz-.i -lr i :mce (the Party of Freedom, with 

FUippo Strom at their head) at the battle of Montemurlo. in 

7iLt 1;c"— ~. 



The diary of the ambassador from Siena is much 
taken np with the movements of th in Bologna, 

who were joined by the three Roman cardinals. 
Cosimo kept a keen and anxious watch upon them, 
and was constantly engaged in strengthening his 
fortifications and raising fresh soldiers. Having 
ordered the destruction of the old Palace of the Me 
which had belonged to Lorenzino, the murderer of 
Alessandro, he now thought i: :tend to 

his predecessor's funeral. This is the account of the 
imposing ceremony, given by Girolamo Tant 
i 

"March 12.—. . . The obsequies of the Duke will 
take place for certain on lay. All is ready, 

and I am told there will be ISO folk* 1 a the 

Court of the Duchess ; and there are 12 black banners 
and other things. . . . 

"March 14. — This morning the funeral of the late 
Duke took place ' a k 17 ore.' At the gate of the 
Palace, stood the bier in the middle of t;. ■:, on 

.4? 




Brogi, photo. 



Bronzino : Florence. 
MARIA DEI MEDICI, DAUGHTER OF COSIMO I. 



249 



FUNERAL OF DUKE ALESSANDRO 251 

which was an image copied from life, in a doublet of 
crimson satin with surcoat of gold brocade, and the 
ducal crown on its head, . . . the procession set forth, 
the bier followed by 22 pages with torches . . . 
then came all the Magistrates of the City and a great 
number of citizens ; and from the Palace issued his 
servants and those of the Duchess to the number 
of 130 each, all in deep mourning, like the pages 
round the bier. Then in due time came the 
Illustrious Lord Cosimo, and Messer Lelio da Fano 
who recited the funeral oration. More than 1,000 
priests and friars next joined in procession, then 
a number of horsemen all in black, and twelve bands 
of soldiers, bearing three great red standards with 
the ducal arms, followed by 300 bearing tapers of 
yellow wax ; and the bier was borne by twenty deputies 
of the House of Medici, all in mourning. And in 
this order the Lord Cosimo, with all the citizens, 
followed to the Church of San Lorenzo [where the 
body of Alessandro was placed in the new Sacristy 
in the marble tomb made by Michelangelo for the 
Duke of Urbino]. During the whole ceremony, the 
streets were strongly guarded by armed soldiers. . . . 

" March 19. — Things remain very quiet here. Al- 
though it is true that most of the citizens are not a 
little discontented. . . . 

u March 23. — . . . There have been found in the 
house of Bart° Valori a quantity of arms . . . pikes 
and swords, enough to arm more than 120 men. And 
the master of the house and his two servants have 
been taken prisoners and will suffer the punishment 
threatened. ... A citizen who spoke of injustice . . . 
was condemned to be beaten with a cord and fined 
200 scudi. . . ." 

15 



252 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

It would be too long to give the extremely interest- 
ing account in this diary of all the intrigues of the 
Pope, the King of France, and the Emperor, and the 
consequent actions of the Florentine exiles and Filippo 
Strozzi, whose high rank, great wealth, and deter- 
mined character placed him at their head. Matters 
were at length brought to a crisis by the arrival in 
Florence of Ferdinando de Silva, Count of Cifuentes, 
imperial agent in Rome, who was to mediate for the 
exiles, hearing all the arguments on both sides. His 
decision, no doubt settled long before, was absolutely 
against the claims of Filippo Strozzi and his com- 
panions ; and the question was finally settled by 
confirming, on behalf of the Emperor, the election of 
Cosimo as successor to all the power and dignity of 
the late Chief of the City, Alessandro. He was also 
permitted to use the title of Duke of the Republic. 
This important event took place on June 21, 1537, 
and from that hour all real hope of freedom died in 
Florence. Cifuentes was also charged to see to the 
interest of the widowed Duchess, and an arrangement 
was made by which Cosimo was to take charge of all 
her property for three years, paying her an annual 
sum of 7,500 gold scudi. This caused additional 
heavy taxes to be levied upon the citizens of Florence, 
who were quite reduced to despair. 

But worse was in store for them. A system of spies 
was established, and any one who was disaffected or 
even ventured to say a hasty word against Cosimo 
was arrested and cruelly punished, often by cutting 
out his tongue. On July 30 the new ruler passed a 
law by which every householder was commanded to 
keep a light in his window after midnight, under 
penalty of being fined twenty-five gold florins ; and 



LEAGUE OF EXILES UNDER STROZZI 253 

he was forbidden to go outside his door after midnight, 
or he became liable to the cruel punishment of having 
his hand cut off. Moreover, in time of disturbance 
in the city, any one who left his home might be mur- 
dered with impunity, either by day or by night. 
These are only a few instances of the stern regulations 
which made this a reign of terror. 

Meantime the " Fuorusciti " (exiles), as they are 
always called, despairing of restoring their state to 
liberty by peaceful means, had collected large sums of 
money from the King of France, Filippo Strozzi, 
and other wealthy members of their league, and had 
raised a considerable force at Bologna and elsewhere. 
They had also friends and sympathisers in many towns 
of Tuscany, more especially at Prato and Pistoia ; 
and as news was constantly brought to Cosimo, he 
thought it wise to arrange for the return to Florence 
of the young widowed Duchess, who had gone to 
Prato, on July 10, with his mother, to whom she was 
much attached. It had been arranged that Filippo 
Strozzi, Valori, and other important leaders should 
approach Florence, in order to give courage to their 
friends within the city, and induce them to make a 
rising at the moment of attack. 

For this purpose they had selected the fortress of 
Montemurlo, on a spur of the Apennines, close to 
Prato, and above the high-road which leads from 
Pistoia to Florence. There must have been some 
traitor amongst them who gave instant information 
to Cosimo, for the young ruler at once gathered all 
the Spanish troops in the neighbourhood on the side 
of Fiesole ; and in the middle of the night they were 
joined by the Italian infantry, under Alessandro 
Vitelli and Piero da Castel di Piero, and made their 



254 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

way through the summer twilight in the direction 
of Pistoia. At dawn they had passed through Prato 
and were close to the hill of Montemurlo, and had 
soon made an end of the sentinels below the castle, 
which was half ruined and incapable of any serious 
defence. Vitelli set fire to the gates, and in a short 
time, after a most heroic defence, all the assembled 
chiefs of the exiles were taken prisoners. Piero Strozzi, 
the son of Filippo, who had the day before arrived 
with a body of soldiers, and happened to be outside 
the castle, was also taken ; but as the enemy did not 
know who he was, he managed to make his escape. 
All the others were conducted as prisoners to Florence 
and treated with shameful humiliation ; amongst 
them, besides Filippo Strozzi, who was claimed by 
Vitelli as the special prisoner of the Emperor, were 
Baccio and Filippo Valori, Anton delF Albizzi, Ber- 
nardo Canigiano, and many of the most honoured 
names of Florentine nobles. 

This utter defeat and fall of the Italian patriots 
took place on the night before the first of August, 
and decided the fate of their country. Cosimo ordered 
the immediate trial of the prisoners for rebellion and 
treason, of which he insisted that the legal penalty 
was death ; and this sentence he caused to be carried 
out with the utmost haste, lest a rebellion in the city, 
or an appeal to clemency from the Imperial ministers, 
or the judges themselves, should be a bar to his ven- 
geance. Some few of the less important were left to 
linger on in Tuscan prisons, and Filippo Strozzi was 
kept by Vitelli as his prize in a dungeon of the Castello. 

We cannot dismiss from our story this noble 
patriot and most splendid of all the Florentine 
nobles, without a few words on his tragic fate. He 



PATRIOTS DEFEATED AT MONTEMURLO 255 

lingered on in cruel captivity, frequently subjected 
to torture by Cosimo, under pretext of discovering 
any accomplices he might have in the city. At length, 
after more than twelve months of ignominy and suffer- 
ing, fearing lest, in his weakened condition, fresh 
torture might draw from him some avowal fatal to 
his friends, " he called to mind the example of Cato 
of Utica, and fell by his own hand, a devoted victim 
to the cause of freedom/' * After his death a paper 
was found in his handwriting, stained with his blood, 
addressed " Deo Liberatori," and expressing his 
reason for the tragic deed in the most touching and 
pathetic words. 

After the victory of Montemurlo, Cosimo felt that 
he had now indeed attained the summit of success, 
and that the time had come to free himself from every 
tie and every obligation. He gradually withdrew 
his confidence from Cardinal Cib6 and all the Senators 
who had promoted his election, this youth being 
firmly decided that no one should share his power 
and his glory. When he sent a messenger to announce 
his victory to Charles V., he took the opportunity of 
asking for the hand of Marguerite of Austria, the 
widow of his predecessor. His message was graciously 
received, but he was told that the young princess was 
already promised to Pope Paul III. for his grandson, 
Ottavio Farnese. There was always some fresh in- 
trigue on hand between Emperor and Pope, and poor 
little Marguerite was again to be the victim. Charles 
had been compelled to make this bargain, for he had 
been unfortunate in his war with France. The Re- 
formation in Germany was giving him a great deal of 
trouble ; he was afraid of losing Milan ; and his re- 

* A. Roscoe. 



256 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

sources were exhausted by fighting against the Turks ; 
he was thus extremely short of money and felt that 
he was alone against the world. 

In this matter — the constant want of ready money 
— Charles V. was like his grandfather, the Emperor 
Maximilian, who, when on a journey, frequently had 
to pawn his rings to pay the bill at his hostelry. His 
grandson, with a far greater territory, had infinitely 
more claims upon him. Spain was a rich country, 
but the Cortes of Aragon absolutely refused to vote 
for a grant of money to be spent in foreign wars ; and 
at this time, he could not raise funds to pay the great 
army which he was compelled to keep in Italy, and 
which for so long had been a constant and terrible 
drain upon him. If he could make terms with 
Paul III., he was sure of help, for the Holy Father 
received an immense revenue from all the Catholic 
countries of Europe. So his daughter Marguerite 
must be sacrificed again to pay the price. 

At that period, marriageable girls were always 
looked upon as valuable " chattels " by their kins- 
men ; but the case of a princess was the worst of all. 
She must be prepared to go to a foreign land and 
marry a stranger she had never seen, in order to serve 
any political purpose which her legal guardian might 
have in view. Even widowhood might not save her, 
for then she could be made use of a second time. In 
this case it so happened that Marguerite of Aust ria 
was most unwilling to leave Tuscany, where she bad 
been treated with great honour and kindness. She 
was very fond of her quiet home at Prato, and 
much attached to Madonna Maria Salviati, who had 
been like a mother to her. But when the appointed 
time arrived for her marriage to the Pope's grandson, 



MARGUERITE MARRIED TO OTTAVIO 257 

Ottavio Farnese — a boy much younger than herself — • 
there was no appeal against her father's command. 
This young widow of fifteen set forth sadly and re- 
luctantly on her journey to Rome with a large escort, 
accompanied by Cosimo to the frontiers of his do- 
minion. Cardinal Cibo was to continue the journey 
as far as Siena, from whence the Emperor's general, 
Don Lopez Hartado, was to see her safely to Rome. 
Her husband had been dead a year and nine months, 
but Marguerite presented herself before the Pope in 
the deepest mourning, with all her company. The 
Princess wore a heavy dress of black brocade, and 
all her ladies were clothed in black velvet. She also 
gave offence by not concealing her contempt at the 
extreme youth of her child-bridegroom. 

A curious incident of her journey had serious con- 
sequences. Marguerite had become attached to little 
Guilio, the illegitimate son of Alessandro, who, ac- 
cording to the custom of the time, appears to have 
been brought up in his palace. The boy was now 
four years old, and she expressed a strong wish to take 
him away with her. Now it was part of Cosimo's 
policy to please the Emperor's daughter in every way, 
and he agreed to her request, but at the same time 
gave strict orders to Cardinal Cibo that he was to 
bring back the boy with him to Florence. He could 
not think of suffering the Pope to keep Giulio in 
Rome, to be treated possibly as heir to his father, Duke 
Alessandro, and used as a weapon against himself. 

The Cardinal obeyed these directions ; but when 
he brought back the little son of Alessandro to 
Florence, he kept him in his own charge. For some 
time Cosimo took no notice of this, but seeing the 
great attention paid to the child by many of the chief 



258 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

citizens, he became suspicious, and showed his dis- 
pleasure by leaving the cardinal out of his Council 
entirely. Then a rumour spread that Cosimo had 
attempted to poison the boy, which was possibly true ; 
but in any case the Cardinal Cibo appears to have 
given this privately as a reason for keeping Giulio 
in his own care. This scandal having reached the 
ear of the Emperor, he sent special orders that the 
matter should be examined ; but meantime there 
was so much ill-feeling between Cosimo and the old 
friend who, more than any one else, had helped him 
to his position, that the cardinal was compelled to 
leave Florence. Cosimo had already got rid of Ales- 
sandro Vitelli, the captain in charge of the castello, 
and had induced the Emperor to appoint Don Gio- 
vanni de Luna in his place, and so, one by one, he set 
himself free from all who had befriended him. 

When he asked for the hand of Marguerite, he also 
besought the Emperor to give into his rule the Citadels 
of Florence, Pisa, and Leghorn ; but these were 
not yielded to him until years later. Meantime, 
the Pope had recovered from his disappointment 
at Cosimo's victory over the exiles, and felt that he 
might still turn the matter to his advantage by giving 
his granddaughter, Vittoria Farnese, as a wife to this 
young and successful ruler of Florence, who had 
already taken the rank of Duke. But Cosimo de- 
clined this alliance, which he did not think would be 
much to his advantage ; for the Pope was an old man, 
and on his death the Farnese would lose all power, 
He felt that he must make a marriage which would 
bring him into closer connection with the Emperor, 
on whom all his hopes were fixed. With this idea 
Jie turned his attention towards the Viceroy of .Naples, 



COSIMO MARRIES ELEONORA DE TOLEDO 259 

Don Pietro de Toledo, of the family of the Duke of 
Alva, who had several daughters. The eldest, Isa- 
bella, was first offered to the Duke, with the sugges- 
tion that he should pay the same dowry as Duke 
Alessandro had paid when he married Marguerite — 
80,000 ducats ; but Cosimo pointed out the 
difference between the daughter of an Emperor and 
that of a Viceroy ; besides, he had already seen 
Eleonora, the second daughter, and had been attracted 
by her, when he paid a visit three years before at the 
Court of Naples. After some negotiation, an arrange- 
ment was made by which the dowry was fixed at 
20,000 ducats, with an additional sum as a present 
to the bride. 

The Viceroy of Naples was in the highest favour 
with the Emperor, who looked upon him as an inti- 
mate friend ; and the proposed marriage was entirely 
approved of by his Imperial Majesty. It took place 
with great ceremony in the early summer of 1539, 
when Duke Cosimo, after defeating all his enemies and 
making himself sole despotic ruler of Florence, was 
still only a youth of twenty. With princely pomp, 
two ambassadors, Luigi Ridolfo and Jacopo dei 
Medici, were sent to Naples to go through the form 
of marriage, in the Duke's name, with the Signora 
Eleonora. She then set forth, with a great escort of 
Spanish and Neapolitan nobles, in seven fine galleys 
to Leghorn, where, after a prosperous voyage, the 
bride was welcomed and received by the Archbishop 
of Pisa and a noble company. On the way to Pisa, 
the Duke of Florence met her, and with much state 
conducted her into the city, which was decorated 
with the usual triumphal arches, banners, flowers, etc. 
After resting there a few days the bridal company 



260 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

continued the journey to Florence, where then' was 
a magnificent reception, with more arches, statues, 
festivals, and entertainments, prepared with the most 
lavish expense in order to win the goodwill of the 
people. 

The bride was received by her mother-in-law, 
Madonna Maria Salviati, with every sign of affection, 
and outward appearances were respected in every way. 
But the poor lady, with her warm, impetuous heart, 
had nothing in common with this cold, proud Spanish 
girl, who suffered her presence in the palace as a kind 
of housekeeper, but treated her with indifference and 
disrespect, following the example of her husband, 
whose ingratitude to his devoted mother had long 
been a matter of common repute. Eleonora was never 
liked by the Florentines, who looked upon her as a 
" barbarous Spaniard/' while they were devoted to 
Maria Salviati, who reminded them of the old days 
of freedom, and who gave herself up to works of 
charity amongst the poor and to religious duties, 
possibly with the secret hope of thereby making 
atonement for the harshness and cruel inflictions 
of her son. Maria was already afflicted with a pain- 
ful incurable disease, and had not many years of 
endurance before her. 

During this year of comparative peace, when there 
was a truce between the Emperor and the King of 
France, Cosimo, with consummate wisdom, resolved 
to convert the Palazzo Vccchio — the ancient home 
of Liberty, and a reminder of the former greatness 
of their Republic to the people of Florence — into a 
dwelling for himself. This grand old palace of the 
people, built in 1208 by Arnolfo di Lapo, was in itself 
a record of the history of the Republic. The Gkielfs, 



COSIMO LIVES IN THE PALAZZO VECCHIO 261 

who were then in power, insisted that " where the 
house of the traitor Uberti had been, there the sacred 
foundations of the House of the People should not 
be laid," and this accounts for the irregular form 
of the great rugged mass of building. The tower 
of the Vacca family was used by Arnolfo as the 
foundation of his own square battlemented tower, in 
which hung the massive bell, of which the people 
said, when it tolled : "La Vacca mugghia " (The 
cow lows). 

The work of reconstruction was given to Vasari, 
who made great alterations in the interior, but did 
not change the outside much. All the escutcheons 
and coats-of-arms, so characteristic of Italian town- 
halls, still remained. There you could see the White 
Lily of the Commune, the Red Lily of the Ghibellines, 
the keys of the Guelfs, the tools of the Wool-Carders, 
the six balls of the Medici, and even the monogram of 
Christ, Who, in those troublous days of 1537, had 
been solemnly elected as their King by the despairing 
people of Florence. Passing through the beautiful 
little court of the Palazzo, with its richly decorated 
pillars and the fountain in the centre — Verocchio's 
boy playing with a dolphin — ordered by Lorenzo dei 
Medici, we pass up the noble staircase to the small 
frescoed gallery, opening into the" Sala dei Dugenti," 
where the Councils of War met, and into which the 
" Ciompi " (Wooden-shoes) had burst on that fateful 
day in 1378, and placed the wool-comber Michel 
Lando at the head of the government. A passage 
leads from this to the " Sala dei Cinquecento," built 
by desire of Savonarola to give room for the Popular 
Council, and here, on the walls, frescoes were painted 
later by Vasari to commemorate the exploits of Duke 



262 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Cosimo, and also a portrait of his father, Giovanni 
delle Bande Nere, and himself. 

Every great hall, every nook and corner of this 
ancient palace is indeed full of the memories of the 
past, which not all the changes and adornments of 
Duke Cosimo can obliterate. The rooms specially 
used by Eleonora di Toledo — of which the ceilings 
were painted with the lives of good women by Jean 
Stradan of Bruges — are still pointed out and also 
the little chapel adjoining, with frescoes of Bronzino. 
It was in the Palazzo Vecchio that Cosimo's first child 
was born, on April 3, 1540 — a daughter, who received 
the name of Maria. The Duke resolved to carry out 
the same ceremonial which was used at the baptism 
of Catherine dei Medici, daughter of the Duke of 
Urbino ; the godparents were the Directors of the 
Hospital of S. Maria Nuova and of the Innocenti, 
and the Abbess of the beautiful Convent of the Murate. 
A hundred and ten Florentine ladies in splendid 
dresses accompanied the baptismal procession, and 
there was no lack of profusion and magnificence both 
amongst the princes and the citizens on this occasion. 

When the Duchess was well enough to travel, she 
accompanied her husband in a tour of inspection 
through the northern part of his Duchy. They rode 
through the Province of the Mugello, and on through 
the fresh and beautiful Casentino, at its very best 
with flowers and verdure, as Dante had sung it, in 
the fair spring time. They passed on to the Val di 
Chiana and stayed at Arezzo, where the fortress was 
almost finished, and Cosimo wished to make arrange- 
ments for its custody and defence. It had been 
begun in the time of Alessandro, but the works had 
been stopped for fear of the plague, which had come 



BIETH OF MARIA DEI MEDICI 263 

there from Florence, and for this reason a lazzaretto 
had been built at Ancina. The city of Arezzo had 
been kept in order by the singular vigilance of the 
magistrates, and peace was now restored to Pistoia 
by the commissioner sent there. But the exiles from 
Florence were still making plots at Mirandola and 
in the States of the Church, for the Pope's hatred of 
Cosimo had been increased by the refusal of his grand- 
daughter Vittoria, and he encouraged his enemies as 
much as possible. Another cause of anger with 
Paul III. was that Cosimo was supposed to have 
encouraged the rebellion of Perugia against the Pope, 
and that he had persuaded his father-in-law, Pietro 
de Toledo, the Viceroy of Naples, not to assist in the 
repression of the revolt. More than this, the Duke 
had received in Florence the fugitive Bidolfo Baglioni 
and twenty-five of his companions. 

As he could obtain no redress for all these offences, 
Paul III. laid an interdict on the Duke and his city, 
but they do not appear to have been greatly disturbed 
by it, and by means of the Emperor a kind of armed 
truce was arranged. 



CHAPTER XVII 

The Turkish corsairs attack the coast of the Mediterranean — Cosimo 
meets the Emperor at Genoa — Takes part in defence of the shores 
of Tuscany — Dispute for precedence between the Dukes of Florence 
and Ferrara — Cosimo at last obtains command of his citadels from 
the Emperor — Birth of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son — Quarrels 
with Pope Paul IV. — Death of Maria Salviati — Her son's in- 
gratitude. 

In a vast empire like that of Charles V., with its 
various nationalities and opposing interests, absolute 
peace was impossible, but in the year 1541 the truce 
with France had brought a lull in the storm, and the 
Emperor thought the time propitious for making 
another and stronger attack upon the Turks, who 
were now the terror of Europe. 

Since their overwhelming success in 1526, at the 
Battle of Mohacs, when Hungary fell a victim to 
its position as barrier state of Christendom, the 
progress of Solyman II., perhaps the greatest of the 
Sultans, had been most alarming. Under his " Pasha 
of the sea," the great corsair Barbarossa II., he had 
become master of the Algerian coast, his galleys in- 
fested the Mediterranean and ravaged the coasts of 
Spain and Italy. The Popes, as defenders of Chris- 
tianity, may have preached crusades against the 
infidel, but they were too much occupied with then- 
private quarrels and the advancement of their kins- 
men to take any really important step. Charles V. 
had been practically left to fight the Turk single- 

2G4 



FRANCOIS I. APPEALS TO THE SULTAN 265 

handed, for even Venice, whom the matter concerned 
so much on account of her Eastern trade, had recently 
been compelled to make terms with Solyman and 
yield to him her remaining islands in the iEgean Sea 
and her last strongholds in the Morea. 

It was the more necessary for the Emperor to 
gain some decided success against the Turks and 
obtain control over the Mediterranean, as he knew 
that the truce with France could not last long, and, 
strange to say, the " Most Christian King " Francois I. 
was in close alliance with the Sultan. This unnatural 
friendship had begun when the King was a captive 
at Madrid, and in his rage against Charles V. had 
actually written to Solyman, asking him to attack 
Hungary. The Sultan's answer was a model of quiet 
insolence, and is worthy of quotation. 

" I, who am the Sultan of Sultans, the Sovereign 
of Sovereigns, the distributor of crowns to the mon- 
archs of the surface of the globe, the shadow of God 
upon the earth, the Sultan and Padishah of the White 
Sea, the Black Sea, Rumelia, Anatolia, Caramania, 
Rum, Sulkadf, Diarbekr, Kurdistan, Azerbijan, Persia, 
Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, 
all Arabia, Yemen and other countries which my 
noble ancestors (may God brighten their tombs) 
conquered, and which my august Majesty has likewise 
conquered with my flaming sword, Sultan Solayman 
Khan, son of Sultan Selim, son of Sultan Bayazid ; 
you who are Francis, King of France, you have sent 
a letter to my Porte, the refuge of sovereigns . . . 
night and day our horse is saddled and our sword 
girt on. . . ." * 

* Marguerite of Austria, by Christopher Hare. 



266 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

When the captive King read these flamboyant 
words he mnst have realised his own insignificance ; 
yet it is qnite possible that his suggestion may have 
hastened the disaster on the plain of Mohacs, and 
when Francois was free, he was base enough to use 
the Sultan as an ally against his hated foe, the 
Emperor. 

During that year, 1541, Charles V. had many 
delays before he could set forth on the enterprise 
which was nearest to his heart. He had to arrange 
for the Conference at Ratisbon, which proved of no 
avail to satisfy the Lutherans, then to travel through 
Italy and have an interview with the unreasonable 
Pope Paul III., so that it was September before he 
was ready to prepare his expedition. In vain his 
wisest counsellors, including the great admiral Andrea 
Doria, declared that the season was too late. Charles 
felt that he could not delay until another year, for 
the Cortes of Aragon had specially voted him money 
for this very purpose, in their horror of the ravages 
and atrocities committed on the coast of Spain by 
Barbarossa and his corsairs. 

^Tien the Emperor reached Genoa, he found 
awaiting him Duke Cosimo, who had just been 
celebrating in Florence, with great pomp, the baptism 
of his first son, Francesco, born on March 25. Don 
Giovanni de Luna had set aside his private animosity 
for the moment, to act as the representative of his 
master Charles V. on this auspicious occasion, which 
seemed to set the seal of continued prosperity on 
the Duke's supremacy. He was received with great 
distinction, and was promised that the disputed sub- 
ject of the possession of the fortresses would be 
favourably considered. After tins meeting, Cosimo 




Alinari.fphoto. 



Cellini : Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence. 



THE PERSEUS. 



267 



DISPUTE FOR PRECEDENCE 269 

accompanied his lord to the meeting with the Pope 
at Lucca, and here a trivial incident occurred, on 
which important events depended. Alfonso, Duke of 
Ferrara, had also come to Lucca to do homage to the 
Emperor, and he appears to have taken precedence 
as a matter of course of the Duke of Florence, who 
felt very much hurt and aggrieved. Still, as there 
were many important matters to be discussed between 
the Emperor and the Pope, Cosimo did not think it 
a suitable time to assert himself, and he let the 
matter pass as an accident. But Alfonso appears to 
have made a formal note of this as a case of precedent. 
It happened that, not long after, on occasion of a 
Festival at Rome, the Pope Paul III., who was never 
friendly to Cosimo, gave orders to his Master of the 
Ceremonies that the ambassador from Ferrara was 
to enter the chapel before the one from Florence, 
and to take the higher place. It was pointed out to 
some of the cardinals that this was a serious wrong 
to the Duke of Florence, and that he must plead the 
question before the Pope. A long and angry dispute 
followed between the two princes as to which had the 
right to take precedence. 

On one side, it was argued by the Duke of Ferrara 
that his title was the more ancient, his race more 
noble, and his subjects more distinguished. On the 
other side it was claimed that besides the honourable 
name and reputation of the Medici family, the greatness 
of Florence was of such ancient date, and had always 
flourished in arms and in wealth ; was distinguished 
by fine scholarship, by the liberal arts, by the mag- 
nificence of its buildings, by the purity and charm of 
its language, by its poets and artists — in short, both 
sides pleaded everything that could be thought of ; 

16 



270 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

thus it was said that Alfonso d'Este, having served 
as general for the Republic of Florence, was only a 
feudatory, and could not be ranked so high as a 
prince who was free and independent. At length, 
the Pope, not wishing to annoy the Emperor for such 
a small matter, gave the decision in favour of his 
friend the Duke of Florence. But the contest had 
roused serious animosity between the two rulers, 
while the rest of Italy looked on with amusement, 
until all else was forgotten in the arrival of alarming 
news — the Emperor's defeat. 

He had not been able to start until late in October, 
when the fleet, which had been collected at Majorca, 
met the Spanish galleys off Algiers. A furious storm 
of wind and rain prevented them from landing for 
two days, and when at last they were able to land 
the troops, it was impossible to put on shore the 
artillery, the tents, and the supplies, which were all 
left on board. This was the moment chosen by 
Barbarossa for the attack, while at the same time the 
heavy tempest drove a hundred ships and fourteen 
galleys ashore, and Doria was compelled to retreat. 
Those who escaped of the army made their way to 
Cape Matifu, and taking ship at Bugia, made the 
best of their way homeward, with terrible loss. In 
short, this promising expedition had ended in complete 
failure. 

Don Pietro de Toledo had returned with Cosimo 
to Florence, but on receiving this news of disaster 
he hastened back to his charge at Naples. It was 
generally expected that France would now lose no 
time in putting an end to the truce. 

The first attack of France was on the Netherlands, 
while another army invaded Roussillon, but they 



FORTKESSES YIELDED BY CHARLES V. 271 

were driven back on every side. However, Francois I. 
had again made an alliance with the Sultan, who 
sent Barbarossa into the Mediterranean, with a fleet 
of 180 galleys and 10,000 men, to devastate and lay 
waste the coast of Italy. He burnt Cotrone, Reggio, 
and other towns, where his corsairs committed the 
most horrible excesses with the full assent of the 
French envoy, who was on board the great galley of 
the admiral. Barbarossa finally set sail for the port 
of Marseilles, where he was received with honour and 
congratulations by the French Governor, the Comte 
d'Enghien. 

Meantime the Emperor had sailed with a fleet from 
Barcelona to Genoa, that he might take steps for the 
defence of the Riviera di Ponente, and here Duke 
Cosimo came to meet him with the Duchess Eleonora, 
towards the end of April. On his way he had passed 
through Pisa to honour by his presence the new 
University, and to arrange for the building of a college 
for poor scholars. He then passed through Pietra- 
santa to see the marble quarries and the silver mines, 
and in crossing the mountains was in some danger 
from a troop of brigands who attacked his escort. 
Charles V. received the Duke with great favour, and 
invited him to join in the Conference which he was 
about to hold with the Marquis del Vasto and 
Ferrante Gonzaga concerning the affairs of Italy. 
Upon the promise of Cosimo to undertake the defence 
of the coast of Tuscany against the attacks of Bar- 
barossa, and to advance a large sum of money towards 
the expense of the war in Flanders, the Emperor at 
length granted him the restitution of the fortresses 
of Florence, Pisa, and Livorno, which he had so long 
and earnestly desired. Charles V. remained for a few 



272 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

days to discuss with the Pope the place where the next 
Congress was to be held, for he strongly objected to 
Bologna, which would be so entirely under the control 
of Paul III. He was too prudent to be moved by 
the tears and supplications of his daughter Marguerite, 
who implored him to give the Duchy of Milan to her 
husband. 

The Duke of Florence accompanied his Lord in his 
journey, and only left him at Milan, from whence he 
returned home with the Duchess, full of satisfaction 
at the thought that henceforth he would really be 
master in the city. Don Giovanni de Luna had re- 
ceived definite orders to give up the citadel, with 
which he most unwillingly complied, and departed 
with large gifts to Siena, where the Emperor had 
placed him in command. On July 3, 1543, Cosimo 
took formal possession of the fortress with great 
solemnity, remaining there with all his family and 
the Court for one night, while the citizens were enter- 
tained with feasting and amusements in honour of 
the great event, which set the city free from foreign 
rule. The Bishop of Cortona, Giovanni Ricasoli, 
was sent at once to the Emperor with the promised 
sum of 100,000 ducats, and the fortresses of Pisa 
and Livorno having been duly taken over by 
procuration, the Duke felt that at last he was an 
independent prince, free from all control in his own 
dominions. 

Yet it is a curious fact that the Duke gave the 
defence of his fortresses to Spanish captains and 
soldiers, and this points out clearly how little confi- 
dence he had in the loyalty of the Florentines. We 
cannot wonder when we remember the cruel laws 
which he passed to keep the people in subjection, the 



RAVAGES OF THE COESAIRS 273 

last one being that for " blasphemy of the govern- 
ment " the penalty was to have the tongue pierced 
with a nail. He had put an end to all remains of 
popular liberty, and had a most complete system of 
spies and informers, so that nothing could happen 
without his knowledge. Impartial observers tell us 
that a great change came over the character of the 
gay, lively men and women of this brilliant city, who 
learnt by bitter experience to be cautious and silent, 
scarcely venturing to make a harmless remark lest 
some listening neighbour should be in the pay of the 
oppressor. 

Duke Cosimo had scarcely returned to Florence 
when news reached him that the fleet of Barbarossa 
was ofl Corsica and approaching the coast of Tuscany. 
He at once sent a messenger in haste to Otto da 
Montauta, with orders to collect his bands, to the 
number of 4,000, and to advance towards the sea ; 
but the Lords of Piombino and Siena opposed the 
entrance of these troops into their estates, for, in 
truth, they feared the help of the Duke of Florence 
more than the invasion of the corsairs. However, 
when the unfortunate inhabitants of the threatened 
district actually saw the dreaded galleys arriving at 
the mouth of the river, they compelled the Signor 
Appiano to accept the proffered aid, and at the sight 
of this strong force, Barbarossa did not think it pru- 
dent to land. The fleet returned towards Corsica, 
and for the moment the danger had passed. Under 
the orders of Montauta, Piombino, on its exposed 
promontory, was strongly fortified and a garrison 
of 300 soldiers was left in charge of the place. 
Watch towers were built, and the whole coast of 
Tuscany, as far as Pietrasanta, was put in a state of 



274 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

defence, while in Pisa a large number of infantry 
with artillery were stationed in the citadel. Now 
that the Emperor had given this fortress into his 
power, Cosimo did much to improve the city in every 
way, making it more healthy by good drainage of 
the lower part, and by turning the marshes into fertile 
land. He also made a canal from Pisa to Livorno, 
by which the merchants might bring up their goods 
to the city in small vessels, to the great convenience 
of the inhabitants. The road from Florence to Pisa 
being in very bad condition, this was thoroughly 
remade with great care, which gave easy communi- 
cation between these two important cities of the 
Duchy. 

The Turkish fleet had moved on towards Marseilles, 
where it was joined by a French squadron of forty 
ships, and together — Christians and infidels — they set 
sail towards Nice, then in the dominion of the Duke 
of Savoy. Besieged by this strong force, Nice was 
in great danger, and at this moment Duke Cosimo 
was ill with fever, while the Duchess was ruling for 
him with the help of his Minister, II Campagna. The 
Emperor was far away, defeating the Duke of Cleves, 
and the only help which could come to the beleaguered 
city was from the Imperial general, Alfonso del 
Guasto, who rapidly approached by land, and Andrea 
Doria by sea. They came too late to save Nice, 
which had been compelled to capitulate on favourable 
terms ; but Barbarossa kept no promises, plundered 
the town in the night, burnt part of it, and actually 
carried oil five thousand of the inhabitants as slaves — 
against all the laws of civilized nations ! The citadel 
had held out, and was saved by the arrival of del 
Guasto and Doria. As for the corsairs and the 



NICE DESTROYED BY BABBAKOSSA 275 

French, they returned under Barbarossa to Toulon, 
where he spent the winter, and for many months 
Christian slaves were openly sold in this city of " the 
Most Christian King ! " We can scarcely believe 
this to have been possible at a time when constant 
appeals were being made to the faithful — both to 
join in a Crusade against the Turks, and also to 
give alms for the rescue from them of " prisoners 
and captives." 

The surrender and destruction of Nice took place 
on September 8, 1543, and the same day marked the 
final triumph of the Emperor over the Duke of Cleves, 
who ceded to him the Duchy of Gelders, that centre 
of rebellion, and the County of Zutphen. While all 
this was happening, the Duchess Eleonora gave birth, 
on September 29, to her second son, Giovanni, whose 
arrival was made the occasion of much pompous 
ceremonial, as he was a further pledge that male 
heirs would not fail in succsssion to the Dukedom of 
Florence. 

But this little Giovanni would never know the 
tender loving care of his grandmother, Maria Salviati, 
who had been willing to endure so much for the sake 
of his elder brother and sister, the little ones on 
whom she had poured out her love with all the passion 
of a desolate heart. The great Florentine lady had 
been treated by the cold, proud Eleonora with careless 
contempt, until at last her slights and insults could 
no more be endured by Cosimo's mother in her 
weakness and failing health. It was now some 
months since the sick woman had retired to the 
stillness and seclusion of her beautiful villa at Cas- 
tello, the scene of so many stirring events of her 
past life, in the days of her Giovanni, the lover of 



276 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

her youth, the husband who had been the pride and 
anxiety of those crowded years of glory. 

It was here, in this peaceful, stately home, so 
charmingly situated in the sunny valley below Petraja, 
that her little Cosimo had really belonged to her — had 
been utterly and entirely hers, as a toddling child by 
her side, in those pleasant gardens ; the joy of her 
heart, the centre of all her hopes and soaring schemes. 
These had all been realised beyond her wildest dream. 
Everything had succeeded with the son of Giovanni 
delle Bande Nere, the gallant, reckless, unrivalled 
condottiere, whose only prize had been a hero's death 
and empty fame. Cosimo had attained in early life 
a position far beyond any Medici before him, and yet, 
to the loving heart of his mother, all this success, 
bought by intrigue and crime, was but Dead Sea 
fruit to her — dust and ashes. Cosimo was Duke of 
Florence, absolute Lord of his native city ; but she 
had lost the son she loved, and whom she had perhaps 
alienated by too much anxious tenderness, too much 
restless and disturbing emotion, until his marriage 
had widened the breach and given a kind of sanction 
to his ingratitude. For Cosimo was not grateful to 
his mother, notwithstanding all her devotion to him. 
She had not the art of managing those she loved : 
she was too impulsive, too sensitive, too easily moved 
to anger and grief. 

Maria Salviati had long been a familiar presence 
in the new, oppressed, and silent Florence. Her tall 
figure, clad in the simple nun-like clothes which she 
always wore, with her pale sad face, as white as her 
long veil — her deep blazing eyes almost the only sign 
of vitality — she moved amongst the people like a 
ghost of ancient days. Deeply religious and passion- 



DEATH OF MARIA SALVIATI 277 

ately charitable as of old, she haunted the church, 
the convent, and the hospital, when she was not 
passing from one afflicted home to another — ever 
the refuge of the poor and the oppressed. 

For years past she had suffered from a wasting 
disease, and now the end was drawing near, in spite 
of all that the medical knowledge of the day could 
do for her, as we hear of the famous physician, II 
Omobuono from Bologna, and others, attending her. 
While his mother was dying in her home at Castello, 
Cosimo was enjoying a successful hunting party, and 
it needed the very strongest remonstrances of his 
Minister, del Campagna, to induce him to visit her 
on her death-bed. It was on December 12, 1543, that 
she passed away from this troublesome world, at the 
age of forty-four years, worn out with sickness and 
sorrow. All that was left of old Florence — the friends 
of the house of Salviati, the secret lovers of freedom, 
and, above all, the poor people — mourned her loss, not 
only for her own virtues but as a link with the happy 
past. Maria Salviati forbade all pomp and show at 
her burial, but she could not escape a funeral 
oration which the historian Varchi delivered in 
the Accademia of Florence, in which she was lauded 
to the skies for those very qualities of a great 
princess which she would most earnestly have 
disclaimed. 

Meantime the war between the Emperor and 
Francois I. was continuing with various successes 
on either side. Henry VIII. had promised to invade 
France with an army of 35,000 men, but he did not 
show great energy, and did little more than conquer 
Boulogne for himself. On April 14, 1544, the Due 
d'Enghien defeated the imperial troops under del 



278 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Guasto at the Battle of Cerisole, but this victory had 
not much result, as the Spaniards held all the strong 
places in Lombardy. Piero Strozzi, the son of the 
unfortunate Filippo, continued to show himself the 
inveterate enemy of Duke Cosimo, and with the help 
of the other exiles kept him in a constant state of 
anxiety. His escape on that memorable night at 
Montemurlo had been the one disaster of Cosimo's 
prosperous career. Piero fought most gallantly on 
the side of the French, and the Pope constantly 
allowed him to raise troops in the Papal states. At 
length, on September 18, 1544, the Peace of Crepy 
was signed between the Emperor and Francois I., 
who agreed to give up his alliance with the Turks 
and to help in the matter of a General Council to 
be held at Trent. 

Duke Cosimo had again made himself useful that 
spring in helping to defend the coast of Tuscany 
against the attacks of Barbarossa who, happily for 
the inhabitants on the shores on the Mediterranean, 
returned to Constantinople in 1544, and went no more 
to sea before his death, two years later. 

When peace was made with France, and ambas- 
sadors from Ferrara and Florence presented them- 
selves at the Court of the French King, the old dispute 
about precedence arose between them in a more 
aggravated form. Francois I. and the Queen of 
Navarre were on the side of Ferrara, to the great in- 
dignation of Cosimo. But while he was thus main- 
taining his dignity in France, he was losing credit in 
Venice, where the recent assassination, by two 
Florentines, of the wretched Lorenzino — who had 
murdered Duke Alessandro — was universally attri- 
buted to the Duke of Florence. He also caused much 



COSIMO QUAKKELS WITH THE POPE 279 

scandal by taking strong measures at this time against 
the Dominican friars of San Marco, who, since the 
public burning of their leader, Savonarola, had 
venerated him as a martyr, followed his doctrines, 
and taught them to the people. Cosimo naturally 
resented such teaching, which must be unfavourable 
to his despotic rule, and began to look upon them as 
a sect of Anarchists, enemies of the State, and whom 
it was necessary to extirpate. He therefore com- 
manded the Dominicans of San Marco, those of the 
Convent at Fiesole, and at S. Maddalena in Pian di 
Mugnone, to turn out of their monasteries, giving 
them a month from the 1st of August to obey. As 
usual on such occasions, the threatened friars ap- 
pealed for help to the Pope, who willingly accepted 
an opportunity to attack the Duke. 

Paul III. sent for the Florentine ambassador, and 
with " anger and contempt " abused the Duke, treat- 
ing him as an irreligious and unchristian man to have 
committed such excesses in a time so perilous for 
heresy. This treatment irritated Cosimo so much 
that he charged his ambassador to justify his conduct 
to the Court of Home, and to point out that this 
way of behaving would tend to make a Lutheran of 
him. But he did not wish to put to shame His 
Holiness, although he, at this very time, tolerated 
the Academy of heresy which the Duchess of 
Ferrara, Renee of France, publicly held. It was 
calumny to accuse the Duke of heresy, for he 
only wished to repress the ambition and bad 
example of these friars, who were doing harm to 
the cause of religion. 

However, in the end, Duke Cosimo was compelled 
to yield and reinstate the Dominican Friars, as 



280 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Charles V., who had a confessor of that order, was 
disposed to agree with the Pope, and advised the 
Duke not to quarrel with him for so small a matter, 
more especially as it would interfere with Cosimo's 
hope of obtaining the cession of Piombino. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

The story of Siena at this period — The people rise in arms against 
the Governor appointed by the Emperor (1543) — They are free 
for five years — Mendoza sent to rule the city — His cruel treatment 
— Builds a citadel — Another rebellion, in which the French take 
part — Siena besieged by the Emperor and Florence — Heroic 
defence, for fifteen months, in which the ladies take parts — City 
yielded to Cosimo in 1559 — He becomes Duke of the whole of 
Tuscany. 

We must now turn for a while to the story of Siena, 
which plays such an important part in the life and 
greatness of Duke Cosimo, and which was to add a 
most precious jewel to his diadem as Grand Duke of 
Tuscany. 

When, in 1543, the Emperor gave up his citadel 
to Cosimo, Don Giovanni de Luna, the governor, 
was made deputy ruler of Siena. Wishing to obtain 
the city for himself, he tried to make alliance with 
the Piccolomini, and encouraged the faction of the 
Noveschi, chiefly composed of the burgher nobility, 
to recover their old dominion. In consequence, they 
made an attempt to murder the leaders of the Popo- 
lani at a bull-fight ; but this having failed, the 
Noveschi rose in arms in February 1546, with cries 
of " Imperio e Nove ! Imperio e Nove ! " trusting 
to the support of the Spanish garrison. But the 
whole of the city rose in fury against them ; many 
of them were massacred, and the rest fled, in company 
with Don Giovanni and his soldiers. 

281 



282 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Rejoicing in their new-found freedom, the people 
placed the government of Siena in the hands of a com- 
mittee of ten, consisting of the Captain of the People, 
and three representatives from each of the other 
Monti, leaving out the Monte dei Nove. This small 
assembly was to have all the authority of the " Balia," 
the former governing body of forty representatives. 
For two years the city appears to have lived in a 
" fool's paradise/' with processions and festivities 
in the Campo, " the city being all joyous, thinking 
that they had conquered and imagining that never 
again would any one molest it." * 

But a bitter awakening was in store for them. 
When the Emperor had a little leisure from his pressing 
affairs in Germany — the Council of Trent, and the 
change in European policy consequent on the death 
of Henry VIII. and Francois I. (1547) — he turned 
his attention to rebellious Siena, and sent as their 
governor, Don Diego Hurtodo de Mendoza. At first 
the people appealed to the Pope, and refused to ac- 
knowledge the supremacy of Charles V. ; but at 
length, by the mediation of Duke Cosimo, they were 
induced to admit the garrison of Spaniards, in 
September 1548. Mendoza, who arrived in October, 
restored the Noveschi, replaced the " Balia " of forty 
members in power, and insisted on choosing half of 
them himself. He ruled in the most despotic manner, 
quartered his soldiers in the churches of San Fran- 
cesco, Sant' Agostino, San Domenico, and the Servi, 
and ordered all the weapons and arms in the city to 
be brought to San Domenico, while all the artillery 
was collected in the Piazzi by the side of the Cam- 
panile. He ruled the Republic with a rod of iron, 

* Sozzini. 



TYRANNY OF MENDOZA 283 

and became "a foe to Italy, to Heaven and to the 
world, and thought to make himself in Siena second 
to God." 

Feeling that the Republic was under his absolute 
dominion, Mendoza now announced that it was the 
will of the Emperor to build a citadel at the city wall, 
and that the men of Siena were themselves to provide 
the materials. At this terrible news of the coming 
death-blow to their liberty, all the citizens, high and 
low, were thrilled with horror and dismay. The 
disaster must be averted at any cost ; the tower must 
not be built. It was decided that an appeal should 
be made at once to the Emperor himself ; and two 
of the most important men of Siena were sent to him, 
in November 1550, with petitions signed by more 
than a thousand of the people. But this was not 
enough they felt, and with wistful memory of the 
past, they determined once more to dedicate their 
city to the Blessed Virgin, and trust in her power to 
guard her own. On the following Sunday the Signori, 
with the captain of the city at their head, went in 
procession to the Duomo with the keys of the city, 
and fifty maidens, to whom they promised dowries 
for the sake of the Holy Mary. A solemn mass of 
the Holy Spirit was sung, and then the Captain made 
a long and devout prayer of dedication. 

" If ever in times past, Immaculate Mother of God, 
our Patroness and Advocate, with compassionate 
prayers thou hast moved the mercy of thine only- 
begotten Son towards this thy most devout city, 
may it please thee to-day, more than ever to do 
so. . . . 

" Behold, most Sacred Virgin . . . the souls of 



284 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

the Sienese people, repentant for all their past errors, 
kneeling and prostrate before thy throne to beg mercy 
and deliverance from the projected Castle 

" Further, I consecrate to thee the city ; I present 
to thee anew the keys ... as to Her who is the 
safest and the most powerful to guard them. 

" Open with them the heart of Caesar, removing 
from it his needless design. Dispose him rather to 
preserve devout and faithful subjects ... to his 
Caesarian Majesty . . . that we may rejoice without 
end in our cherished liberty/' 

The appeal to the Emperor was quite in vain ; now 
that he had given up the fortresses of Florence and 
others to Duke Cosimo, he was resolved to have one 
strong place in Tuscany. He was polite to the am- 
bassadors, and assured them that it was for the defence 
of Siena's liberty that he was having this fortress 
built, but he would not listen to their remonstrances, 
and sent them away lamenting : " We must drink 
this bitter chalice/' 

They returned to find the foundations of the castle 
laid on the Poggio di San Prospero, and Mendoza, in 
his mantle of red cloth, constantly hurrying on the 
work. But a strange ghostly figure was seen amongst 
the labourers : the hermit Brandano, who had wan- 
dered round Italy preaching repentance, clad in 
sackcloth, with a halter round his neck, a crucifix 
in one hand and a death's head in the other. He 
had appeared in Rome on the eve of the sack of the 
Eternal City, foretelling the coming destruction, and 
had been thrown into the dungeons of the Inquisition. 
Here again he stood on the hillside, wailing aloud : 
" Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 




Brogi, photo. 



Titian : Turin. 



POPE PAUL III. 



285 



THE FRENCH TAKE THE CITADEL 287 

waketh but in vain/' until he was banished ; but his 
words were not forgotten. 

Don Diego de Mendoza was absent when a con- 
spiracy was formed to admit a large force of French 
and Italians, who fired the Porta Romana one evening 
in July 1552, and entered Siena. There was fighting 
all night, for the Spaniards, supported by a troop of 
Florentines sent by Duke Cosimo, had fortified them- 
selves in San Domenico and in Camollia, with the 
fortress behind them, whither they were driven back, 
and many were killed ; " and so, by the grace of God, 
all the city was free." At the beginning of August 
the citadel capitulated, by the intervention of the 
Duke of Florence, and the defenders were allowed to 
retire with their arms and baggage to Florence. The 
French at once took possession and made over the 
citadel to the Republic, amidst great rejoicings and 
shouts of " Liberty ! Liberty ! France ! France ! " 
Then the nobles and the poorer citizens alike all set 
to work at destroying this menace to their liberty, 
with pickaxes and other tools, until " in the space of 
one hour, more was destroyed than would have been 
built in four months ! " 

A French garrison was now supposed to be pro- 
tecting Siena ; and the people, wild with delight, 
gave themselves up to games and amusements. The 
Cardinal Ippolito d'Este came in November as 
Lieutenant of the King of France, was welcomed with 
acclamation, and set to work to have new forts built 
outside the Porta Camollia. The people helped to 
work at the building, " always gladly to the sound 
of drums and trumpets " ; but some wise men noticed 
that these forts were so built that they might serve 
to bombard the city, as well as to defend it. Mean- 

17 



288 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

time imperial troops were collecting in the kingdom 
of Naples, and in the early part of 1553, a great army 
of Spaniards and others under Don Garzia de Toledo, 
the brother of Duke Cosimo's wife, invaded the domain 
of the Republic. Pienza and Monticchiello were 
taken, and Montalcino was besieged for two months, 
and heroically defended until, on a rumour of the 
Turkish fleet having arrived off the coast of Italy, 
Don Garzia burnt his camp and hastened to the 
defence of Naples. There were great rejoicings and 
solemn thanksgivings in the city, " thus saved as by 
a miracle/' 

By the intrigues of Duke Cosimo a conspiracy was 
next formed in Siena to admit his soldiers by the Porta 
Ovile and drive out the French. But this was dis- 
covered, and the Captain of the People and two priests 
in high office at the Duomo were beheaded as the 
chief conspirators. Early the next year, the King 
of France was unwise enough to send Piero Strozzi, 
the most deadly enemy of Cosimo, as his Vicar-General. 
This at once gave the Duke of Florence a pretext for 
openly attacking the city, as one of the conditions of 
the last peace had been that Siena was to receive no 
" Fuorusciti M (exiles). The Florentine forces now 
joined openly with those of the Emperor under the 
command of Gian Giacomo, Marquis of Marignano ; 
and on the night of January 26, 1554, suddenly took 
possession of the forts outside the Porta Camollia. 
This was the beginning of that last and terrible siege, 
in which Siena showed as splendid heroism as had 
Florence twenty-four years before, with the same 
fatal end — the death of their liberty. During fifteen 
months of fearful Buffering and desolation for the 
unfortunate city and all the country round, the ruth- 



PIERO STROZZI IN COMMAND 289 

less war was carried on between France and Spain 
for the possession of the last great Republic of the 
Middle Ages. 

In order to give Piero Strozzi a free hand else- 
where, Blaise de Montluc was sent with more French 
and Swiss troops to take charge of the city, and 
this gallant soldier, with his dauntless courage and 
gay humour, won the affection of the people, whose 
bright, hopeful temper was so like his own. He 
was moved to enthusiasm by the devotion of the 
ladies, who set forth in companies with picks and 
shovels to help with the fortifications and, in the 
early days of hope and high spirits, were dis- 
tinguished by their bright colours — violet, carnation 
and white. Montluc thus addresses them in his 
" Book " : 

" It shall never be said, you ladies of Siena, that I 
will not immortalise your names ... for in truth 
you are worthy of eternal praise, if ever women 
were. . . ." 

In August, Piero Strozzi and the pick of the French 
soldiers sallied forth, and thought to make a diversion 
by carrying the war into the territory of Florence. 
He engaged with the army of the Marquis of Marig- 
nano, on the hills near Marciano in the Val di Chiana, 
and a terrible battle took place under the dazzling sun, 
when the Imperial troops won a decisive victory. 
There was great loss of life ; four thousand of the 
gallant company under Strozzi were slain on the 
field, while the wounded crept back to Siena and filled 
all the hospitals, and the city was full of lamentation. 
Once more the people went in solemn procession 
through the city, with three hundred little girls, clad in 
white and barefooted, at their head, crying, " Christe 



290 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

audi nos ! " and bearing with them the " Madonna 
della Grazie." 

But the enemy drew their lines ever closer and closer 
roundthe beleaguered city, and the famine became more 
hopeless until, in despair, the hapless citizens decreed 
that the " useless mouths " must be turned out from 
their midst. Special officials were appointed to do 
this awful deed, and on the night of September 22 
more than a thousand weeping, terror-stricken men, 
women, and children were driven out through the 
gates. Then Strozzi insisted that seven hundred 
more must go, in order to leave food for the righting 
men, and this time they were to be protected by a 
strong escort through the lines of the foe. But the 
pitiful company, amongst whom were two hundred 
and fifty young children, fell into an ambush ; many 
were killed, and the rest driven back to the Porte 
Fontebranda, where they were found next morning, 
" wounded and beaten, lying there with cries and 
lamentations/' The Rector of the Spedale gave up 
his post that he might take no part in such cruel 
doings ; but the starvation was so terrible and the 
case so desperate that the " useless mouths M were 
expelled, again and again, with still more fatal results. 
They reached the number of over four thousand. 

Piero once more left Siena in the hope of obtaining 
help, while the Archbishop, Piccolomini, and others, 
made their escape to Montalcino, a strongly fortified 
place, which held out for some time longer. The fate 
of Siena was now sealed. Vain appeals were made 
to Venice, the Duke of Ferrara, and to the Pope, whose 
mother had been a lady of Siena. But he coldly 
advised immediate surrender to the mercy of the 
Emperor With heroic endurance, the starving city 



HEROIC ENDURANCE OF SIENA 291 

still held out until not a drop of wine or a morsel of 
wholesome food was left, and people fell dead 
in the streets. Heaven and earth were alike deaf to 
their heart-broken cry for help, and the Sienese at last 
surrendered to Duke Cosimo, who took possession in 
the name of the Emperor. Montluc had insisted on 
a free exit being allowed to the Florentine exiles ; 
these were joined by a number of the citizens, making 
up eight hundred in all, who passed together out of 
the Porta Romana. The very soldiers were moved 
to tears, as Montluc declares, at the sight " of this 
misery and desolation of a people who had manifested 
themselves so devout for the conservation of their 
liberty and honour." 

Of the forty thousand inhabitants of the doomed 
city dwelling in it before the siege, only six thousand 
remained after that April day of 1555. A garrison 
was placed in conquered Siena, which was governed 
for two years by the tyrannical Cardinal of Burgos 
for Philip II., who had now succeeded his father, 
Charles V. At length, in 1557, it was given up to 
Duke Cosimo of Florence, who united this long-coveted 
city and dominion with his Dukedom of Tuscany, 
under nominal feudal service to the Emperor. But 
Spain reserved the coast towns of the late Republic — 
Talamone, Orbetello, Port' Ercole and Porto Santo 
Stefano — which from this time were known under 
the name of the Spanish Prsesidia, and added to the 
Crown of Naples. 

The heroic little Republic of Montalcino, with its 
noble refugees, held out during four years longer until, 
at length, when the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis was 
held, two ambassadors from the city were sent to 
plead for freedom. When this was refused, Montal- 



292 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

cino capitulated in August 1559, and Cosimo now 
felt that he was indeed lord and supreme master of 
the whole of his Duchy of Tuscany. He made a tri- 
umphant entry into Siena in 1561, and from this time 
he governed the conquered city by means of a Lieu- 
tenant-General, suffering the people to keep up the 
form of their Republican government, such as the 
" Balia," or Council of Magistrates — but he chose 
them himself. All that remained to the people under 
this vain show of freedom were the games and sports 
of the various contrade, in which they have always 
distinguished themselves. Even at the darkest 
moment of that terrible siege, during the incessant 
bombardment, they had still played their garnet 
intervals in the Campo, and at one of these — a " giuoco 
delle pugna M — Montluc tells us that he was touched 
almost to tears by their gallant spirit, which could 
so forget for awhile their hardships and deadly peril. 
When Duke Cosimo dei Medici received the alle- 
giance of Siena and finally took possession of the 
dominion of the Republic, all Tuscany was united 
under one rule, for the first time since the Roman 
Empire. 



CHAPTER XIX 

Dispute between the Emperor and Pope Paul IV. — Great floods in 
Florence — Coshno sends his eldest son, Francesco, to do homage 
to the Emperor at Genoa — Abdication of Charles V. — His son 
Philip II. is King of Spain ; his brother Ferdinand becomes 
Emperor — Death of Cosimo's eldest daughter Maria — His third 
daughter Lucrezia marries Alfonso, heir of Ferrara — Election 
of Pope Pius TV. (1559) — Cosimo founds the Order of Knights of 
San Stefano to defend the coast of Tuscany against the Turks. 

Having turned aside to tell the story of Siena, we 
must now go back to the other events which con- 
cerned Duke Cosimo during the eventful years of 
that long and desperate struggle. Many momentous 
changes had taken place in Europe. As we have 
already seen, Henry VIII. of England and Francois I. 
of France had passed away from the scene of their 
conflict, almost at the same time, early in 1547. They 
were succeeded by the weaker government of their 
sons, Edward VI. and Henri II., whose wife, Catherine 
dei Medici, had not yet begun to assert herself, al- 
though she made no secret of preferring Strozzi to 
Cosimo. 

The dispute still continued between the Pope and 
the Emperor, as to whether the Great Council of the 
Church should be held at Bologna or at Trent, and 
also concerning the minor question of obtaining 
Parma and Piacenza for Ottavio Farnese. This 
was not settled when, on November 10, 1549, Paul III, 

293 



294 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

died — in distress of mind at having failed to satisfy 
his family, for whose sake he had quarrelled with 
Charles V. and sacrificed the interests of the Holy 
See. There was a long Conclave, which ended with a 
compromise between the contending parties and the 
election of the Cardinal del Monte, under the name 
of Julius III. Although he had been on the side 
of France and had little in his personal character to 
recommend him, the party of the Emperor accepted 
him in the hope that he would choose peace rather 
than war. Cosimo had done his best to secure this 
election, because del Monte was born near Arezzo, 
and therefore was a subject of his own. 

The year 1547 had been an anxious time for the 
Duke of Florence, as there had been great floods from 
the valley of the Mugello and from the hills round 
Florence, which was devastated by the overflowing 
rivers. This occurred in the warm season, when there 
was much danger of plague, unless prompt measures 
were taken to cleanse and disinfect the city. It was 
just at this time that he lost his third son, little Pietro, 
who died in June 1547, at the age of ten months. The 
following July, another son was born to him, to whom 
the name of Garzia was given, after his mother's 
brother. When, that same autumn, the Emperor 
was sending his son Philip to Flanders, and the Prince 
arrived at Genoa, all the Italian rulers hurried there 
to pay homage to the rising sun. But the Duke of 
Florence, not feeling quite sure of his own safety, 
thought it would be a wise step to send his eldest boo 
Francesco, a child of seven, as his representative, with 
the Bishop of Cortona, Don Pietro de Toledo (Via 
of Naples), and a magnificent escort. On occasions 
of this kind Cosimo never spared expense, lb- 



CHAELES V. RESIGNS THE EMPIRE 295 

exacted by heavy taxation the last penny he could 
squeeze out of the unfortunate Florentines, for he 
well knew the need of wealth for carrying out his 
ambitious schemes. 

At that moment, the Duke's great ambition was to 
become absolute master of Piombino, so important 
a post for the defence of the coast from the piratical 
Turks, and which had already been taken out of the 
failing hands of Appiano. This was delayed, with 
constant promises, for some years, but at length both 
the Lordship of Piombino and also that of the Island 
of Elba were ultimately granted to the Duke of 
Florence, who, by his steady support of the Emperor, 
had well deserved these accessions of territory. After 
the death of Barbarossa, a new corsair, Dragut by 
name, had been set over Barbary by the Sultan, and 
again the shores of Italy and Sicily had been ravaged. 
The Turks had also renewed their attacks upon Hun- 
gary, and this constant warfare with the infidels, 
supported by the French fleet, added to the intolerable 
burdens which the Emperor had to endure with 
failing health at this dark period of his life. 

Born at the opening of the century — February 24, 
1500 — Charles V. had endured the burden of empire 
almost from his childhood ; his reign had been one 
long struggle to carry on the dynastic policy of his 
race, and having accomplished all that was possible, 
his desire was now to consolidate his successes and 
to ensure their continuance to his heir. In July 1554 
the marriage of his son Philip to his second cousin 
Mary, Queen of England, was quite in accordance 
with the Hapsburg spirit of gaining territory by 
alliance, and it was with patriotic and religious self- 
devotion that the young Spanish prince accepted a 



296 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

bride so much older than himself and so unattractive 
in appearance and character. 

In religious matters, after all his efforts, Charles V. 
had to acquiesce, against his convictions, in the 
illusive Peace of Augsburg, for now that he desired 
to rest from his work, peace was his great desire. 
After the futile and insignificant Papacy of Julius III., 
the succession of Paul IV. in May 1555 — the bigoted 
Caraffi, first Head of the Inquisition — did not give 
much promise of peace ; but as he became Pope at 
the age of seventy-nine, his rule could not be of long 
endurance. On hearing of the election of Paul IV. 
Charles remarked to the Nuncio that, as a boy of 
fourteen, he had heard the new Pope sing Mass at 
Brussels, but he made no disparaging comment, 
although Paul IV. was well known to be an enemy 
to Spain. 

The Emperor of such vast dominions, in the old 
world and the new, had resolved to abdicate in favour 
of his son and close his life in well-earned repose. 
His first step was taken in the Netherlands, the home 
of his childhood, where, in the midst of a most im- 
pressive ceremony at Brussels, October 25, 1555, he 
explained his reasons, made a touching farewell to 
his people, and invested his son Philip with all the 
northern provinces. A few months later he gave 
up his Spanish kingdoms and the rest of his dominions. 
To his brother Ferdinand he yielded his imperial 
authority — that " empire " of which his grandfather 
Maximilian had said : " It is a heavy burden with 
little gain therefrom/' Then, when he was at last 
free from crown and sceptre, he set sail for Spain 
and retired to the monastery of Yuste, in a seques- 
tered valley in Estremadura, where he lived in seclu- 



PHILIP II. INHERITS SPAIN 297 

sion and pious observances until his death, at the 
age of fifty-eight, in September 1558. 

In order to understand the later policy of Cosimo, 
it has been necessary to give this brief account of 
his lord and patron, Charles V. It was now with 
the son and successor, Philip II., that the Duke 
had to deal, but as by this time he had pretty well 
reached the summit of his ambition, he could afford 
to take a more independent position. The death of 
his father-in-law, the Viceroy of Naples, Don Pietro 
de Toledo, in 1553, had been a serious loss to him, 
for the Duke of Alva, who had succeeded Toledo, 
was far less reliable as an ally. Meantime the new 
Pope, who was a Neapolitan, had the most violent 
hatred of Spain, as the oppressor of his native pro- 
vince. His fixed purpose was to use all the power 
of the Church to free Italy from Spanish rule, and 
he at once joined France and Ferrara for that purpose. 
Venice, as usual, cautiously held aloof to see which 
side would win. As for Duke Cosimo, he fortified 
his castles and kept a sharp watch on Siena, Piom- 
bino, and other outlying places of his duchy. In 
order to strengthen his position he entered into 
negotiations with his former enemy, Ercole II., Duke 
of Ferrara, offering his eldest daughter Maria as 
bride to the heir of Ferrara, Alfonso. 

This arrangement would have been carried out, 
but unfortunately the young Princess Maria, a girl 
of sixteen, died very suddenly. It was publicly 
announced that she had fallen a victim to the fever 
which was a constant danger of those unsanitary 
days ; but the rumour which spread through Florence 
was that she had fallen in love with some one else, 
and that her father had poisoned her to hush up the 



298 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

matter. At this distance of time it is impossible to 
trace out the truth of this and many similar reports, 
which have B way of making Duke Cosimo their 
central figure. The Court chroniclers of the time, 
if they allude to the subject, say that " Donna Maria 
died of fever, but that a romance of secret love and 
the poisoning of the princess by her father arose 
from the ill-will of the Florentine people, who could 
not forgive the fall of their Republic.'' However, in 
1558, Don Alfonso of Ferrara was quite willing to 
marry Lucrezia, the third daughter of the Duke of 
Florence, although we are told that " she was inferior 
to her eldest sister in charm and appearance.'' 
Thereby hangs another tragic legend for, later on, 
Lucrezia, when Duchess of Ferrara, is said to have died 
of poison administered by her husband Alfonso II., 
but these reports are considered most untrustworthy. 
Lucrezia had been previously promised in marriage 
to Fabiano di Monte, the nephew of Pope Julius III., 
who, however, was no longer eligible on the death 
of his uncle the Pope. 

Pope Paul IV. was not long in commencing hos- 
tilities against Spain by citing Charles V. and Philip 
as vassals who had failed in their feudal obligations, 
and seizing and imprisoning Garcilasso della Vega, 
Secretary of the Spanish Embassy at Rome. Upon 
this, the imperial troops crossed the frontier and 
entered the Campagna. The Pope begged for a truce, 
and took advantage of it to obtain French help ; 
but when the Due de Guise was recalled after the 
Battle of St. Quentin, Paul IV. was defenceless, and 
the Duke of Alva might easily have taken Rome. 
However, Philip II. had no wish to repeat the sack 
of the Eternal City in 1527, and granted peace on 



POPE PAUL IV. AND THE INQUISITION 299 

easy terms ; but it was insisted that the possessions 
of the Colonna and other Roman nobles, which had 
been seized for the Pope's nephews, should be restored 
to their rightful owners. Paul IV. now turned all 
his energy to the work of the Inquisition, having 
made a treaty with Philip II. and granted full 
absolution to Alva, who implored his forgiveness 
for having borne arms against the Church. When 
Paul IV. died in August 1559, the hatred of the 
people for his acts of cruel repression burst forth, 
and the " Holy Office " of the Inquisition was taken 
by storm and destroyed, while the Pope's effigy was 
dragged with insult through the streets of Rome. 
The records of the Inquisition were destroyed, and 
seventy-two " heresiarchs, or rather infernal fiends," 
as Caraccioli called them, were suffered to escape. 

Meantime there had been more changes in the 
rulers of Europe. Mary Tudor, Queen of England, 
was dead, and a mischance at a tournament had 
removed Henri II. and left France at the mercy of 
the Guise faction. The formidable society of the 
Jesuits had been founded by Ignatius Loyola, and 
the Great Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, signed in 1559, 
had restored some measure of peace to Europe after 
a contest of sixty years. Italy remained very much 
as the wars had left her, but the gallant little Sienese 
Republic of Montalcino was finally given to Duke 
Cosimo, and Corsica was yielded to Genoa. Philip II. 
having been refused by Elizabeth of England, was 
about to marry Elizabeth of France, the daughter 
of Catherine dei Medici, who wrote imploring Philip 
to " stop the Queen of England from playing the 
fool ! 9i She certainly was giving a great deal of 
trouble with her vacillation, for she kept Europe in 



300 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

suspense by her doubtful attitude between the old 
faith and the new. 

On December 26, 1559, Giovanni Angelo de' Medici 
— a Milanese not connected with the great Florentine 
family — was elected successor to Paul IV., and he 
took the name of Pius IV. He was a good man and 
a scholar, of kindly disposition, who only desired to 
live in peace with all men. He sent a friendly letter 
to Elizabeth, but Philip II., fearing a French intrigue, 
stopped the Nuncio on his way to England. Duke 
Cosimo had done his utmost to promote the election 
of Pius IV., and was not long in reaping the reward 
of his labours. His second son Giovanni, a lad of 
sixteen, was created a cardinal ; and in the first year 
of his pontificate Pius IV. sent a Nuncio to reside 
permanently in Florence, thus showing this city an 
honour which it had never received before ; the first 
Nuncio being Monsignor Giovanni Campeggio, Bishop 
of Bologna. 

The shores of the Mediterranean being never free 
from the danger of attack by Turkish corsairs, Cosimo 
desired to found an Order of Knights for the defence 
of all that coast, and also as an example " of honour- 
able distinction in arms and courteous customs of 
chivalry, " and for this purpose, and " also concerning 
other matters," he desired to consult with the new- 
Pope. Having received a cordial invitation to Rome, 
the Duke of Florence left his eldest son Francesco 
in charge of the government, and set forth in groat 
state with the Duchess Eleonora, his wife, and his 
son, the cardinal. Passing by way of Siena he was 
received there with great pomp, and remained in the 
city several days, to break the journey. When Duke 
Cosimo reached Rome in the morning, he made a 



COSIMO FOUNDS ORDER OF SAN STEFANO 301 

magnificent, almost regal, entrance, for many Roman 
nobles and great personages came out to meet him, 
and the flower of his own Court, in splendid array, 
had followed him from Florence. In the evening 
the Duchess made her state entry with no less 
pomp, and they were both received with the highest 
honour by the Pope, and lodged in the " stanze," 
built by Innocent VIII. above the first courtyard 
of the Palace of St. Peter's. 

Here the Duke and his party remained for two 
months, having long conferences with the Pope about 
the rules and religious observances of his new Order, 
and also discussing the important concerns of the 
Catholic Church. That " abominable plague of 
heresy " appeared to be spreading from its home in 
Germany, all over England and even into France, 
and Cosimo did his best to exhort the gentle Pope 
to show no mercy, and follow the example of his 
predecessor. He pointed out that while other states 
were troubled with these matters, he had succeeded 
in putting down heresy in Florence, and was rewarded 
by peace and tranquillity. On leaving Rome, Cosimo 
passed once more through Siena, where he remained 
some days, visiting the neighbourhood and seeing 
that good order was maintained. He then went on 
to Pisa, where he finally inaugurated his new Order, 
giving to it the name of San Stefano, Pope and Martyr, 
whose festival, on August 2, was the day of his 
memorable victory of Marciano, where Strozzi was 
defeated and the fall of Siena was assured. 

All things seemed indeed to have prospered with 
Cosimo, for not the least of his personal triumphs 
had been the death of his deadly foe, Piero Strozzi, 
Marshall of France, at the siege of Thionville, by an 



302 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

accidental shot from an arquebuse, in June 1558. 
The Duke had now outlived most of the irrecon- 
cilables, who would never forgive the treachery and 
cruelty of his destruction of Florentine freedom. 

Not long afterwards the King of France offered 
his daughter in marriage to Francesco, the eldest 
son of the Duke of Florence. But Cosimo sent 
courteous thanks to the King, and declined the honour 
of this alliance, as in his devotion to the House of 
Austria he hoped to find greater means of promotion. 
He therefore sent his son, with a splendid escort, to 
the Court of the King of Spain, in order that " he 
might see the ways and customs of other princes, 
and by studying their methods of government become 
more wise/' The Duke himself had suffered from ill- 
health for some time, and he felt that it was important 
for his heir to gain all possible experience before he 
should succeed to the duchy. It is quite possible 
that the example of the Emperor Charles V. had 
some influence on the mind of Cosimo, and that he 
was already considering the plan of retiring in favour 
of his son, or rather taking the young prince into a 
kind of partnership, a scheme which he carried out 
some years later. 




Anderson, photo. 



Bronzino : Florence. 



BIANCA CAPELLO. 



303 



CHAPTER XX 

Duke Cosimo builds bridges, fortresses, etc. — The Palazzo Vecchio had 
been embellished for him ; then he rebuilds the Pitti Palace for 
his abode — Patronage of art — Benvenuto Cellini and others — 
Domestic troubles — Tragic death of his two sons, Cardinal 
Giovanni and Garzia — The Duchess Eleonora dies of grief — 
Strange rumours — His daughter Isabella marries a Roman noble, 
the Duke of Bracciano. 

At this period of triumph and success, when all things 
seemed to prosper with Cosimo, Duke of Florence, 
and when the great dominions acquired by crime and 
bloodshed were assured to him by his astute diplo- 
macy, we may pause to consider the public works 
which he has left behind. This cruel, grasping, clever 
prince had all the instincts of a Medici for show and 
magnificence, and fortunately these often took the 
form of most useful undertakings. He made canals, 
such as that one from Livorno to Pisa ; he drained 
the marshes round that city, and also in the Maremma 
of Siena and the Val di Chiana, purifying the air 
and providing fresh land for agriculture. He made 
lakes, such as that of Frassineto, near Camaldoli, and 
that of the Val di Lamia ; and also aqueducts to 
bring the waters of the Mugnone into Florence, and 
another at Pisa. 

But above all he was a great builder of bridges, 
the greatest boon in a country so full of rivers as 
Tuscany, as we see from the names of those which 

305 18 



306 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

still remain, beginning with the Arno, over which the 
Ponte Santa Trinita, which had been swept away in 
the great flood of 1557, was rebuilt from designs of 
Ammanati. Cosimo also restored the Ponte alia 
Carraja, and gave the jewellers the shops still occu- 
pied by that trade on the Ponte Vecchio. Then 
follow the rivers Arbia, Mugnone, Chiana, Ombrone, 
Elsa, Ema, and many others, all crossed by the 
Duke's bridges. It would be too long to enumerate 
the fortresses, towers of defence, and fortifications 
which he built in Florence, Pisa, Siena, Livorno, and 
all the cities of his dominions. Cosimo also made 
new roads and repaired the old ones throughout 
Tuscany, but these, like the castles, may be looked 
upon as needful works for military defence. 

As we pass through Florence, we are reminded at 
every step of Duke Cosimo. Beginning with the 
Palazzo Vecchio — which in 1540, at the time of his 
marriage with Eleonora de Toledo, he had enlarged 
by del Tasso, including in it the two palaces at the 
rear — the Council Chamber was greatly improved 
and the wide staircase built, besides many other 
changes to make it suitable for the luxurious dwelling 
of a Court, and no longer the simple massive palace 
of the people. But after ten years of rule, this was 
not splendid enough for the Duke, and he moved to 
the immense palace belonging to the noble family 
of the Pitti, who had never been able to finish the 
building, and in 1549 sold it to the Duchess Eleonora, 
with all the farms and orchards round it. These were 
turned into magnificent gardens, partly on the lower 
ground, then rising up the slope to the hill above. 
" Here all kinds of 1 ic^s were planted, and shrubs 
and green lawns, and beautiful bowers, and every 



THE DUCHESS ELEONORA 307 

kind of fountain and water-works, with grottoes and 
vases and statues and other delights, which cannot 
be imagined unless they are seen." The Duchess 
took great interest in collecting plants, flowers, and 
fruit trees from all Tuscany. Mannucci goes on to 
describe the wonderful passage which was made from 
the Palazzo Vecchio, over the " Uffizi " (or offices), 
to the Pitti, asa" way in the air " by which, in any 
danger, the Duke might pass quickly and secretly 
from one palace to the other. This was built later, 
on the marriage of his eldest son Francesco, who 
was to live in the Palazzo Vecchio. We can under- 
stand the satisfaction of the Duchess Eleonora in 
her new home, with her young children, away from 
the haunting memory of past tragedies in the Palazzo 
Vecchio. This great lady was not popular in 
Florence, where the people found her insupportable 
for her cold pride and dull solemnity. She never 
forgot that she was a Spaniard, and obtained many 
privileges for her fellow-countrymen in Florence ; 
the Spanish Chapel in Santa Maria Novella was 
specially granted to them, and she was always a 
great friend to the newly risen company of the Jesuits. 
Cellini gives an amusing account of her dislike to 
his light and frivolous character, and her constant 
opposition to him. 

In the Piazza della Signoria, the Loggia dei Lanzi 
reminds us that the name was given to this ancient 
and beautiful series of arcades by Cosimo, who used 
it as a meeting-place for his Swiss body-guard, which 
was constantly on duty for his personal protection, 
so little trust had he in his subjects. The admirers 
of Duke Cosimo's despotic rule make much of his 
encouragement of trade and commerce in Florence, 



308 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

and it will be interesting to trace briefly his connection 
with the ancient Guilds of the City. He made various 
alterations in the statutes, and established four 
Universities to include the Fourteen Lesser Guilds, 
giving them certain privileges ; but it was scarcely 
in a kindly spirit that he ordered " any servant 
found idling in the streets or hanging about for 
want of work at the evening tolling of the bell 
called the ( Campana delle Armi/ shall have his 
right hand amputated/' He evidently took a special 
interest in bells, for he ordered that the big bell of 
the Duomo should be rung at half -past three daily, 
to announce to the workmen that their day was 
over. Many of them lived outside the city gates, 
which were always closed at dusk. 

Duke Cosimo certainly made an effort to revive 
the prosperity of the " Guild of Wool." In 1543 he 
wished to embellish the Palazzo Vecchio with woven 
tapestries, and for this purpose he induced a number 
of tapestry workers from Lyons to settle in Flor- 
ence, and established a weaving manufactory. This 
industry quickly developed, and the Florentine 
painters, Bronzino and Salviati, designed cartoons 
for the weavers. However, by a curious irony of 
fate, the Guild of Cloth and Wool Merchants, closely 
connected with this useful work, was almost ruined 
by another enterprise of Duke Cosimo, when in 1561 
he instituted the " Military Order of the Knights of 
San Stefano." Many wealthy merchants, wishing to 
secure for their families the honour of the military 
cross, with all its privileges, disdained to continue 
the exercise of their trade. 

In the same year the Duke of Florence unwittingly 
gave the final death-blow to the old Guild of the 



THE GUILDS OF FLORENCE 309 

" Calimala," or wool-merchants, by his protectionist 
instinct, which induced him to forbid the importation 
of serges and light woollen cloths from England and 
Flanders. We have no space to dwell fully upon 
the extremely interesting account of the various 
Guilds of Florence at this time, but we may still see 
one useful addition which Cosimo made to the Mercato 
Vecchio, in rebuilding the Loggia del Pesce as a 
special place for the selling of fish, which had proved 
a nuisance in the general market. A small market 
for the sale of fruit and vegetables was also added 
close by. 

With regard to Duke Cosimo *s encouragement of 
art, we notice that in 1562 he renamed the Accademia 
di San Luca, first held in the cloisters of La 'Nunziata, 
as the " Accademia delle Belle Arte," uniting the three 
fine arts — Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture — 
under the motto " Levare di terra al cielo nostro 
intelleto." Cosimo felt that as a Medici he had a 
traditional position as patron of art ; but there was 
no generosity about his nature. " Cautious, little- 
minded, meddling, with a true Florentine's love of 
bargaining and playing cunning tricks, he pretended 
to protect the arts, but did not understand the part 
he had assumed. He was always short of money, 
and surrounded by old avaricious servants, through 
whose hands his meagre presents passed. As a 
connoisseur, he did not trust his own judgment, thus 
laying himself open to the intrigues of inferior 
artists. ..." * 

Benvenuto Cellini gives us a very vivid account 
of the difficulties he met with during the period he 
worked in Florence for the Duke, and of that great 

* J. A. Symonds. 



310 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARKIOR 

day of his life when finally his bronze statue of Perseus 
with the head of Medusa was uncovered in the Loggia 
dei Lanzi, and welcomed with an outburst of enthu- 
siasm. But besides this, he had made other works 
to adorn the Duke's palaces, and it was remembered 
with awe that he was the sculptor of that waxen bust 
of Duke Alessandro which was hung in the Church 
of S. Annunziata, and which fell to the ground three 
days before that Duke was murdered by Lorenzino. 

To Cellini we are indebted for the fine Ganymede 
in the Uffizi, and for various precious objects in the 
Collection of Gems which he carved for the Duchess 
Eleonora. The famous crucifix in the Church of 
San Lorenzo is his work, and he also made a colossal 
bust of Duke Cosimo to be placed in Porte Stello, 
at the splendid harbour of Porto Ferrajo in the Island 
of Elba. 

All these and many other masterpieces were for- 
gotten when Cellini came to compete with Bandinelli 
and Ammanati for the great fountain of Neptune in 
the Piazza della Signoria, and the task was given to 
a rival. Of other artists patronised by Cosimo were 
Bronzino, who painted portraits of all his family ; 
Vasari, who covered the walls of his palaces with his 
great exploits ; Tribolo, who adorned his gardens with 
fountains and statues. Not only the grounds of the 
Duke's great palace in Florence were thus decorated, 
but he bestowed great care and expense upon the 
gardens of his various villa residences, especially 
Castello, where his mother died and where he was 
to spend the closing years of his life. 

While he was surrounded by artists of second rank, 
Cosimo, notwithstanding all his earnest entreaties, 
was unable to persuade Michelangelo to return to 



DUKE COSIMO'S RELATION TO ART 311 

Florence and complete the statues of the Medici in 
the Church of San Lorenzo. The great master, born 
in 1474, was now of advanced age, and having com- 
pleted the " Last Judgment," he was next engaged 
by Paul III. to superintend the building of St. Peter's, 
" and to this task, undertaken for the repose of his 
soul without emolument, he devoted the last years of 
his life/' Thus the tombs of the Medici were destined 
to remain unfinished. " Lorenzo's features are but 
rough-hewn ; so is the face of Night. Day seems 
struggling into shape beneath his mass of rock, and 
Twilight shows everywhere the tooth-dint of the 
chisel.'"' * 

Up to the point where we have followed the story 
of Duke Cosimo, all has prospered with him, except 
for the loss of his infant son and of his daughter Maria. 
But in the year 1561 there came to him news of the 
death of his young daughter Lucrezia, who had been 
married two years before, at the age of fifteen, to 
Alfonso II. d'Este, recently Duke of Ferrara. In 
after-years the report spread that she had been 
poisoned by her husband, but for this tragic story 
there is probably no foundation. Lucrezia was the 
third daughter, and her elder sister Isabella had 
been married the same year to a great Roman noble, 
Paolo Giordano Orsini, of whom we shall hear more 
later on. 

In the year 1562 a tragic disaster came upon the 
family of Cosimo. A change to the sea-coast had 
been recommended for the Duchess Eleonora, who 
was out of health, and the Duke set forth on a journey 
beyond Leghorn, with his wife and his three sons, 
Giovanni the cardinal aged nineteen, Garzia who 

* J. A, Symonds, 



312 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

was just fifteen, and young Ferdinando who was 
barely thirteen. As we have seen in the last chapter, 
the eldest son Francesco had been sent to pay his 
homage to Philip II. at the Court of Spain. 

The Duke was anxious to visit the fortified places 
on the coast below Livorno, built for protection 
against the Turkish pirates, and he was also looking 
forward to some hunting with his sons. The following 
is the account of what happened, as given by the 
Court chroniclers, and especially by Beldini, the 
Duke's head physician, " which things I have seen 
and written/' 

There was at this time an epidemic of malarial 
fever in the south of Tuscany, and it was especially 
virulent in the unhealthy Maremma. Giovanni was 
the first to sicken with this terrible fever at Rosignano ; 
he was taken to Leghorn, and received every care. 
The doctor Baldini gives a very circumstantial account 
of his sickness and death on November 20, adding that 
his father the Duke was fetched to see him in the middle 
of the night. " No earthly remedies were of any avail 
for this youth of the most handsome presence and most 
excellent behaviour, tenderly beloved by his father, 
who had the greatest hopes for him ; . . . and he 
being dead, his body was borne to Pisa, of which city 
he had been made Archbishop. ..." Here the Duke 
took his wife and his two other sons, who were also 
ill with fever, in the hope that they would recover. 
But Don Garzia, after an illness of twenty-one days, 
" passed to a better life [on December 12], a youth 
of the highest expectations and destined for great 
things ; who died at the age of fifteen. Of whose 
death when the Duchess heard she, having been ill 
for many days, became much worse so that, to the 



DEATH OF COSIMO'S WIFE AND TWO SONS 313 

infinite grief of the Duke, she also was overcome by 
the stroke of death. . . ." f fi * 

On December 18, the day of his wife Eleonora's 
death, Cosimo wrote a very full and most circum- 
stantial account of all this tragedy to his eldest son 
Francesco, at the Court of Spain, with careful and 
minute details of the last hours of his two sons and 
their mother. 

Having given the official and Court version of these 
sad events, it is necessary to allude to the story 
which for several centuries has been one of the stock- 
tragedies of Medici crime, has been made the subject 
of a tragic drama by Alneri and other writers, and 
has been generally believed by the enemies of 
Cosimo I. We are all familiar with the story of the two 
brothers going out hunting together, of their dispute 
as to which of them had killed a certain deer, and 
the subsequent struggle in which Garzia, by an un- 
lucky thrust, kills his brother Giovanni. Then we 
are told that the Duke, in a fit of frenzy at the death 
of his favourite Giovanni, puts his younger son to 
death with his own hands, and that the unfortunate 
mother dies of a broken heart. 

Alfieri's version is a very wild romance, which does 
not even give the name of Giovanni, but puts in his 
place that of " Piero," then a boy of eight, evidently 
confusing him — as so many writers have done — with 
the Piero who died as an infant in 1546. 

In these more humane and law-abiding days, our 
latest historians are not disposed to believe in past 
deeds of savage violence without such positive proof 
as, at this distance of time, cannot often be obtained. 
But " qui s'excuse, s'accuse," and the extraordinarily 
minute details regarding that malarial fever, written 



314 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

by a Court historian under the watchful eye of a 
later Grand Duke ; or even the long circumstantial 
letter written by Cosimo himself to his son at the 
Spanish Court — at the very moment when he was 
supposed to be overwhelmed with grief — are neither 
of them perfectly reliable evidence, when we remem- 
ber the character of Duke Cosimo and his small 
respect for human life. In any case the verdict may 
be " Not proven ! M 

There was terrible tragedy for the Duke in the 
loss of his two promising sons and their mother, who 
had been his devoted companion for twenty-three 
years. Two solemn funerals followed each other in 
San Lorenzo at Florence — one of Cardinal Giovanni, 
and then of the Duchess Eleonora and her best 
beloved son Garzia, " the light of her eyes." They 
were laid to rest together in the crypt of the Medici 
Mausoleum, where Cosimo himself was later to take 
his place by their side. 

It was most important to the Duke that he should 
have one son a Cardinal to keep his interests in 
remembrance in Rome, and his first step after the 
death of Giovanni was to induce Pius IV. to raise 
Ferdinando, a boy of thirteen, to the vacant dignity. 
He sent for his son Francesco to help him in the 
defence of the Mediterranean coast, which was again 
attacked by the Turkish fleets and corsairs, and he 
was now able to make great use of his Military Order 
of St. Stephen. But Florence being an inland power, 
the Duke was very deficient in vessels, and the 
chronicler mentions with great pride that on this 
occasion he was able to send ten galleys to sea. Still 
the new line of forts along the shore of Tuscany was 
a great protection to the people, who were encouraged 



INCREASING GREATNESS OF COSIMO 315 

to store their grain, and live as much as possible 
within walled towns. Those of Talamone Port* Er- 
cole, Orbetello, and San Stefano formed the Spanish 
"Praesidia," which was ruled by the Viceroy of Naples. 
But the garrisons had no means of obtaining any 
supplies save fish, except by the pleasure of Duke 
Cosimo. The coveted port of Piombino had been 
his for a time, but the jealousy of Genoa had induced 
Philip II. to retain it in his own possession after 1557. 

However, at this period — 1563 — Duke Cosimo was 
most anxious to be on good terms with both the King of 
Spain and his uncle the Emperor Ferdinand, as after 
his great good fortune in the past his ambition had 
risen to the point of desiring a royal marriage for 
his son. He, who had once been denied Marguerite 
the illegitimate daughter of Charles V., now raised 
his eyes towards a real Archduchess, the youngest 
daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand, as a bride for 
his heir Francesco. Everything was in his favour, 
for the division of power after the death of Charles 
had made the Duke's position more independent, 
and if he could arrange this great alliance it would 
be another means towards his own advancement 
above all the other ruling princes in Italy. Nothing 
short of absolute precedence would satisfy the grasp- 
ing desire of this scion of the Medici, that family of 
whom it was said that " All things came to them in 
the end." 

After the tragic loss of his two sons, Giovanni and 
Garzia, there remained to Cosimo only four of his 
nine children ; these were three sons, Francesco, 
aged twenty-two, Ferdinando, the newly made car- 
dinal of fourteen, and Pietro, a wild, unmanageable 
child of eight. His one daughter, Isabella, was 



316 THE KOMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

distinguished for her beauty and talent, and said to 
be a musician and a poetess. She had been married 
in 1558, at the age of sixteen, to a great Roman noble, 
Paolo Giordino Orsini, Prince of Bracciano, a name 
too closely associated with the frail Vittoria Acco- 
ramboni — with coming tragedy and disaster — for us 
to believe that the marriage can ever have been a 
happy one. In any case, Isabella seems to have been 
quite willing to leave her husband and return to 
cheer her father's life soon after the death of the 
Duchess Eleonora, and she at once became the centre 
of all there was of gaiety and amusement in the 
Florentine life of those days. 



CHAPTER XXI 

Marriage of Francesco, the Duke's eldest son, to the Archduchess 
Joanna, daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand — Story of Bianca 
CapeDo — Cosimo takes his son into a share of the government — 
Election of Pope Pius V., fierce inquisitor — Pietro Carnesecchi, 
a Florentine, impeached for heresy, betrayed by his friend 
Duke Cosimo, who is rewarded by the Pope with the title of 
Grand Duke of Tuscany — Death of Cosimo I. (1574) — His 
character. 

When the Emperor Ferdinand died in July 1564 
and was succeeded by his son Maximilian II., nego- 
tiations had been carried so far with the Duke of 
Florence that the marriage of his eldest son Fran- 
cesco with the young Archduchess Joanna was defi- 
nitely settled to take place the following January. 
Cosimo had attained his heart's desire, and it did not 
trouble him much that the great Council of Trent, 
after labouring for eighteen years, had been dissolved 
the previous December without succeeding in uniting 
divided Christendom. It was of some concern to 
him that the Pope's authority was now more absolute 
than ever, for he was one of the chosen friends and 
advisers of Pius IV. ; but his thoughts were chiefly 
engaged upon a scheme of his own. 

Duke Cosimo was not old in point of years — he was 
only forty-five — but he had reigned since the age of 
eighteen, and may have felt weary of the incessant 
strain of personal government ; he may have had a 

317 



318 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

desire to train his son in the art of ruling, or it may 

have been a desire to imitate the Emperor Charles V. ; 
but in any case he resolved to take Francesco into 
a kind of partnership with him. This was. in fact, 
all that his appearance of resignation amounted to, 
for he kept a very firm hand upon all real power, 
both with regard to foreign and domestic policy ; but 
he entrusted his son with much of the routine of 
government. This had the advantage of placing the 
young prince in a position of authority before his 
splendid marriage, for which great preparations were 
made. The princely pair were to live in the Palazzo 
Vecchio, which had been Cosinio's own home for his 
first ten years of married life. But the ancient palace 
of a free people was to be entirely embellished and 
freshly decorated to prepare it for the coming of a 
Grand Duchess, the daughter of an Emperor. 

Vasari was commissioned to paint frescoes on the 
walls, and, in order that the subjects might be pleasing 
to an Austrian princess, the vestibule of the splendid 
court was covered with pictures of towns in her 
native land. In the lunettes were placed copies of 
medals commemorating the victories of Cosirno I., 
the massive columns were covered with stucco orna- 
ments on a gold ground, and Verocchio's fountain 
of the " Boy with the Dolphin M was placed in 
the centre as a finishing touch to the beautiful 
M cortile." 

Francesco went in state to the Court of the Em- 
peror Maximilian II., his future brother-in-law, and 
the journey to Florence of the Princess Joanna was 
like a royal progress. She entered the city with a 
crown on her head, under a stately baklachino, and 
the wedding was celebrated in the Church of San 



BIANCA CAPELLO 319 

Lorenzo with the greatest magnificence, while the 
people were entertained with festivities for a whole 
week. The poor lady herself had no happy lot in 
store for her. We are told that she was unattractive, 
cold and haughty in manner, and that from the first 
she felt that this marriage was beneath her dignity. 
We wonder how long it was before she discovered 
that her husband's affections were already entirely 
bestowed upon another woman, the beautiful adven- 
turess, Bianca Capello, whose elopement from Venice 
was the scandal of the day. 

It was more than a year before his marriage that 
Francesco had met this Venetian beauty, with her 
ruddy golden hair, who was already disenchanted of 
her runaway marriage with the bank-clerk, Piero 
Bonaventuri, on whose head the Kepublic of Venice 
had set a price. The heir of Florence fell passionately 
in love with Bianca, loaded her with presents, and 
gave her the splendid palace in the Via Maggio, still 
known by her name. The intrigue was carried on 
with some slight amount of concealment during his 
father's life, but Francesco's devotion to his mistress 
remained constant, and he married her after Joanna's 
death in 1578. The story of Bianca Capello, of her 
first husband Piero 's murder, and of her own ad- 
venturous life, is so well known and has been so 
thoroughly told,* that I will not dwell upon it here. 
Still it is a curious fact, as showing the easy immor- 
ality of opinion, that the great lady Isabella Duchess 
of Bracciano, daughter of the then Grand Duke 
Cosimo, should show strong friendship for Bianca, 
who on one occasion breaks off a letter abruptly, 
saying that " she is sent for by the Signora Isabella 

* Ladies of the Italian Renaissance. Christopher Hare. 



320 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

dei Medici to accompany her and the Cardinal Fer- 
dinando to a great hunting party at Pisa the fifth 
day of December 1573/' 

At the time when her husband and sister-in-law 
were thus amusing themselves, the unfortunate Arch- 
duchess Joanna was left in the grim Palazzo Vecchio 
with her little girls, of whom the youngest, the fifth 
daughter, Maria, afterwards wife of Henri IV. of 
France, was still an infant. We can scarcely be sur- 
prised that the neglected wife wrote pitiful letters of 
complaint to her brother, the Emperor Maximilian II., 
but he could give her no redress and, for the sake of 
the family honour, his only wish was to hush up the 
scandal as much as possible. Hers was indeed a sad 
story, but it was no isolated case in the Medici family, 
in Florence of the sixteenth century. 

The gay and accomplished Isabella, the last re- 
maining daughter of Cosimo I., the leader of Floren- 
tine amusements, was herself destined to meet with 
a terrible fate some three years later than the date 
of her hunting invitation to Bianca. She remained 
in safety until after the death of her father ; then 
her husband, the Duke of Bracciano who wished to 
marry the notorious Vittoria Accoramboni, enticed 
her to his Villa of Cerreto Guidi, near Empoli, and 
there murdered her with his own hands in the dead 
of night. The next day it was announced in Florence 
that the princess had died suddenly of apoplexy, but 
there appears to be little doubt as to the truth of 
this tragedy, of which indeed Isabella's death was 
only the First Act. 

We must leave this tale of horror incomplete to 
return to the history of Cosimo himself after his 
son's marriage. He had now reached almost the 



PROSPERITY OF DUKE COSIMO 321 

highest point of his success as a ruler. His sharp and 
sanguinary measures had put down rebellion at home 
and abroad ; but he still had spies within the city — 
almost in every household, wherever men gathered 
together in Florence or in cities where his suspicions 
were roused. So intimate was the knowledge of the 
secret police, and so prompt their action, that the 
Venetian envoy, Fedeli, accustomed to the ways of 
the Ten, had yet greater awe of the unknown prisons 
in Florence from which no news ever came forth. The 
unjust law of the " Polverina " — by which the whole 
property of exiles was confiscated, and also that 
which their heirs might acquire — had added greatly 
to the Duke's wealth ; he constantly exacted new 
taxes, import and export duties, gifts and loans, fines 
and confiscations ; and besides all these sources of 
income, he was himself a banker and a merchant, 
carrying on a prosperous trade with his war-galleys 
in wool, grain, silk, and leather. Money was an 
absolute necessity for his ambitious schemes. He 
was able to revive the national militia on a large 
scale, and to keep in his pay — besides his own private 
Swiss and Spanish guards — captains in Germany, 
Switzerland, Corsica, and elsewhere, to raise merce- 
naries if required at any moment. 

It was thus that he began to make himself a power 
in Europe ; he could help Charles IX. in his war 
against the Huguenots, he was able to send troops 
and well-mounted galleys to fight against the Turks 
in the defence of Malta in 1565, and when the old 
Sultan Solyman himself set forth from Constantinople, 
in 1566, on that eventful campaign against Hungary 
and the Empire, in which the Turkish veteran died 
in his tent before the siege of Szigeth, the contingent 

19 



322 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

sent by Duke Cosimo amounted to three thousand 
picked foot-soldiers. 

In December 1565 the Duke lost a faithful sup- 
porter in Pius IV. It was a matter of extreme 
importance to him who should be the next Pope, 
and he was fortunate in the election of his friend, 
the Dominican monk, Michele Ghislieri. The new 
Pope, Pius V., was an ardent Inquisitor, unbending 
and pitiless, an ascetic with high ideals and un- 
swerving faith ; but his aims demanded unity of 
government and despotic power, and he could be 
trusted to steadily uphold the interests of the Medici 
ruler of Florence. Cosimo had no repugnance to the 
Inquisition, although his cold nature was incapable 
of religious zeal ; the stake was only another means 
to attain that discipline which his soul loved to 
enforce. An incident which occurred the following 
year shows him as a willing instrument of persecution 
to serve his own private ends, and casts a lurid 
light upon his character. 

A noble Florentine named Pietro Carnesecchi had 
entered the Papal service, and, under Clement VII., 
hadbecome Protonotary Apostolic, with great influence 
and hopes of advancement. After the death of the 
Pope he retired into secular life and came under the 
influence of Valdes in 1540. Some time later Car- 
nesecchi was cited to Rome and tried for heresy, but 
he denied everything and was absolved. In 1552 he 
published some of the works of Valdes, and was again 
condemned, but on the death of Paul IV., when the 
people broke open the prisons of the Inquisition and 
burnt the records, he was declared innocent by the 
new Pope, Pius IV., of milder nature. After this he 
lived at Rome, Naples, and Florence, always keeping 



THE DUKE'S TREACHERY 323 

up his intercourse with those who held the doctrines 
of the Reformation. On the election of the Head 
of the Inquisition as Pope Pius V., Pietro thoroughly 
appreciated his dangerous position, but he trusted 
in the protection of Duke Cosimo, to whom he had 
been a warm friend and valuable adviser. His confi- 
dence in one who never considered anything but his 
own interest was destined to be rudely destroyed, 
for when sitting as an honoured guest at the Duke's 
table he was suddenly arrested by order of the 
dread Inquisition, and carried a prisoner to Rome. 
Here he was tried on a number of charges, of most of 
which he had already been acquitted, and after many 
months of cruel imprisonment he was finally be- 
headed and burnt on October 21, 1567. Yet Carne- 
secchi had published nothing of his own against the 
faith ; he was a man of blameless life, who had 
kept all the ordinances of the Church ; and he was 
only accused of matters of opinion in his conversation 
and private letters. 

As for the treachery of Cosimo towards this noble 
friend of his, it had been a well-considered act of 
useful policy, for which he reaped the full reward 
when Pope Pius V. bestowed upon him the long- 
coveted title of Grand Duke of Tuscany. This was 
perhaps the crowning triumph of his life, and the 
Court chroniclers give a very full account of the 
great ceremony at Rome, where the Duke of Tuscany 
went in state to receive his new honours. He was 
publicly crowned in the Chapel of the Vatican, in the 
presence of all the cardinals and a splendid company 
of great nobles, " on account of his great zeal for 
religion and his good justice," as we read engraved 
upon his royal crown, and also in the Pope's Brief. 



324 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

Henceforth his designation was no longer " Eccellenza 
Ulustrissima," but " Altezza Serenissima," which 
would distinguish him from all the other Dukes in 
Italy, and settle for ever any question of precedence. 
Cosimo did not go empty-handed to Rome ; he pre- 
sented to the Pope a splendid chalice, inlaid with 
finest gold, a buckle of choice diamonds, and two 
priestly robes ; also a chasuble and a cape of cloth 
of gold. In return he received from Pius V. the 
Golden Rose, that supreme gift which the Pope 
blesses every year and presents to some faithful 
Prince of the Church. 

There was one shadow on the brilliant occasion: 
the Emperor refused to ratify this deed of the Pope, 
and his ambassador ostentatiously left the chapel in 
the middle of the ceremony. Philip II. also declared 
against it, and there were loud protests from the 
Dukes of Ferrara, Mantua, and Savoy. But the 
Grand Duke of Tuscany went home in triumph and 
caused his portrait to be painted, wearing the radiated 
crown, with the Florentine Lily in the centre — holding 
in his hand the sceptre with the Medici " palle " and 
the lily above — and clothed in his royal robes. 

It is a curious fact that after the date (1569) of 
this satisfied ambition and realised supremacy, Cosimo 
seems to have lost his hold on the reality of power. 
His failing health may have had something to do 
with the increasing negligence and self-indulgence 
which put him out of touch with affairs, and were 
such a contrast to the keen insight and constant 
vigilance which had won him his successes. There 
was much to worry him in his domestic affairs. 
Unpleasant gossip could not fail to reach him with 
regard to the more than frivolous behaviour of his 



BECOMES GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY 325 

only surviving daughter, Isabella, Duchess of Brac- 
ciano, to whom he had given the Villa of Poggia Im- 
periale. The duel in which a young Court page, 
Lelio Torelli, lost his life had not been favourable 
to her reputation. Then, too, the strained relations 
between his eldest son Francesco and his wife Joanna, 
sister of the present Emperor, were a cause of 
anxiety, as the succession was not yet secured, 
for so far she had only given birth to daughters. The 
Grand Duke's youngest son, Pietro, now a boy of 
fifteen, had grown up wild and passionate, entirely 
beyond his control, and leading a dissolute life with 
evil companions. The only son in whom he could 
take any pride, the young Cardinal Ferdinando, was 
away at Rome, a cold and distant critic of the doings 
at home. 

From all these uncongenial surroundings the Grand 
Duke sought for distraction in the company of more 
than one Florentine lady of easy morality. Amongst 
these he was specially attracted to Camilla Martelli, 
the daughter of a certain Antonio Martelli who 
carried on his trade in the Via de' Servi, and the lady 
became his inseparable companion. This came to 
the ears of Pope Pius V., and the stern ascetic moralist, 
indignant that scandal should rest on his newly 
created Grand Duke, gave him the uncompromising 
advice : " Marry the woman and make your peace 
with God and the Church." This probably fell in 
with Cosimo's own feeling ; it would certainly annoy 
his family, and also add to his own comfort in his 
increasing ill-health. The marriage was very quietly 
performed, and the bride was told she would not 
bear the title of Grand Duchess, but would be simply 
called " Signora," like any other private lady. In 



326 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

fact, it was a kind of morganatic marriage, but his 
sons were not willing to acknowledge her in any way. 
After his marriage the Grand Duke appears to 
have lived almost entirely at the beautiful Villa 
Castello, which for him must have been full of 
haunting memories of his loving mother, Maria Sal- 
viati, and of the happy days he had spent in those 
beautiful gardens, which of late years had been 
decorated with all the quaint talent of Tribolo. For 
some time before his death he almost entirely lost the 
use of his limbs, and after much suffering, he died, at 
the age of fifty-five, " about the 19th hour " on April 
21, 1574, at the palace now known to us as the Pitti, 
but then called the Palace of the Grand Duke. The 
Court chroniclers tell us that a comet appeared at 
the time of his death, " as though to announce the 
passing away of so great a personage." The body 
was embalmed and prepared for burial with great 
ceremonial, clothed in white armour all but the hands 
and the head, and robed in the stately mantle and 
other garments in which he was crowned by Pius V. 
The famous crown was placed on his head, the sceptre 
in the right hand, and the sword at his left side ; the 
Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece round his 
neck, and also the smaller Order, with a red cross, 
of the Military Society of San Stefano, of which 
Cosimo had been the first Grand Master. After the 
lying in state the body was borne by the Knights 
of San Stefano, accompanied in splendid procession 
by " the three Princes — Francesco, Cardinal Ferdi- 
nando, and Pietro — with all the Court, by the Feuda- 
tory Lords, the Magistrates, the Bishops and Arch- 
bishops of the State, by more than two thousand 
Priests and Friars, by a great number of Foot-soldiers, 



DEATH OF COSIMO I. 327 

by Cavalry in light and heavy armour, and all sorts 
of persons. . . . ' When they reached the Church of 
San Lorenzo and the funeral ceremonies were ended, 
pompous orations were delivered both in Latin and 
the " vulgar tongue," to the praise and glory of the 
Grand Duke. Italy must have been full of his fame, 
for there were more orations in the Church of San 
Stefano in Pisa, in other cities of the state, and even 
in Eome. 

It is curious, as showing how customs endure, that 
mottoes were hung about everywhere through the 
city, bearing the inscription " Lutto " (grief), as to 
this day is still done as a sign of mourning in country 
places in Italy.* 

By his will, the Grand Duke Cosimo left to his son 
the Cardinal Ferdinando his estates of S. Mezzano 
in the Upper Val d' Arno, the palace of La Petraia, 
with all its belongings, the Palace and the vineyard 
which he had in Rome, and an income of three thou- 
sand scudi a month from the customs of Florence. 
He could not foresee that Ferdinando would succeed 
him as Grand Duke on the tragic death of his brother 
Francesco and Bianca his wife, in 1587. 

To his son Don Pietro, Cosimo left the splendid 
villa and domain of Poggio a Cajano, a famous hunting 
resort on the banks of the river Ombrone, at the foot 
of Monte Albano, half way between Florence and 
Pistoia. Pietro appears to have exchanged this villa 
for that of Cafaggiolo, where a terrible tragedy 
occurred two years after his father's death. He had 
married a very beautiful young girl, Eleonora de 
Toledo, a niece of his mother's, and she seems to 

* I last saw this at Pratovecchio, in the Casentino, at the pictur- 
esque funeral of the " Sindaco." 



328 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

have aroused his jealousy, for in his lawless rage he 
murdered her, thus adding another to the long tale 
of horrors connected in some way with his family. 

Coshno left a much more generous legacy to an 
illegitimate son. Don Giovanni, whose mother was a 
certain Eleonora degli Albizzi. This youth appears 
to have been the most eligible member of his family ; 
we find him later employed as ambassador to Venice 
by his half-brother the Grand Duke Francesco on 
the occasion of his marriage with Bianca Capello, 
immediately after the death of the unfortunate Arch- 
duchess Joanna. He was also popular at the French 
Court. 

His endowment was " the possessions of Cerreto, 
all the lands which had been drained from the Arno 
in his time, or which might be in the future, a Palace 
in f Parione ' ; all the rents which came from Spain, 
the mills which are at the Porta al Prato, and those 
which are outside that gate, the Mills at Pisa, and 
the steel factory, . . . and 1000 gold florins a year 
after the death of his mother, who was to enjoy this 
income for her life.'"' This was a curious medley of 
property, by which Cosimo secured a fortune for his 
favourite child ! 

The widow, Camilla Martelli, was not forgotten in 
the will. She was to inherit all his personal garments, 
his furniture and ornaments, which were of no small 
value, and also an income of 4,000 gold florins a 
year. It is to be feared that the poor lady had very 
little enjoyment of this bequest, if indeed she ever 
received it, for on the succession of Francesco I. to 
his father's throne, he cruelly compelled the widow 
Camilla to take up her abode in a convent, where she 
was closely confined until her death in 1590. Her 



SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON FRANCESCO I. 329 

one daughter Vittoria was married later to Cesar e 
d'Este of the royal house of Ferrara, so that she 
would appear to have been treated with some amount 
of consideration by her half-brother. Certainly a 
marriageable princess was always a useful asset for 
a diplomatic arrangement. 

With this small ray of sunshine we will bring to 
an end the story of the Grand Duke Cosimo and his 
family , lest, if we do but turn another page, we may 
come upon more records of tyranny and crime. 



EPILOGUE 

In connection with this " Romance of a Medici 
Warrior.'''' three striking figures in succession have 
taken possession of the stage. First stands forth 
Caterina Sforza, the Great Madonna of Fork, that 
supreme example of a warrior woman. When her 
husband Riario was murdered by the triumphant 
Orsi. her voice and presence alone could hold a 
rebellious city in check, and by the power of her will 
she could seize the citadel and secure the succession 
of her son. With magnificent courage. Caterina de- 
fended her capital and state from enemies on every 
side — those rival Itakan rulers, who thought to find 
an easy prey in a defenceless woman. 

Like a koness at bay she fought against aU the 
might of the Borgia Pope, until her last defences were 
stormed by overwhelming force and the heroic Lady 
of Fork was taken captive to Rome. Of all her five 
boys, only the youngest born, the son of her courtly 
Medici husband, inherited her brave spirit and daunt- 
less energy. 

In the life of this Medici warrior, Giovanni delle 
Bande Xere, we have seen displayed all the courage 
and fierce daring of his Sforza ancestors, whose ex- 
ploits he far excelled in magnificent audacity. 

So great was the confidence he inspired that 
Frangois I. always declared that, had Giovanni been 

330 



EPILOGUE 331 

by his side, he would have won that fatal Battle of 
Pa via, and the fortunes of Europe had been changed. 
It may well be so, for never had leader so complete 
and supreme a command over his soldiers as this 
Medici captain who had trained them himself, spent 
a princely fortune on their behalf, and inspired them 
with his own passionate enthusiasm. Yet this gallant 
condottiere exhausted his short and brilliant life in 
fighting desperate battles for other people — in serving 
prince and Pope — mostly without pay, not even re- 
ceiving, until too late, the long-promised guerdon of 
sea-girt Fano on which he had set his heart as a 
corsair home for his Black Bands in time of peace. 
As far indeed as his own fortunes were concerned, 
Giovanni's life was a splendid failure, like his mother's. 

We pass on from the lion to the fox. The success 
denied to the hero of many battles was reserved for 
his only son, the cold, crafty Cosimo, who, from his 
earliest childhood, had known how to be silent and 
bide his time, like more than one of his Medici fore- 
fathers. Then, when the calculated moment of action 
came, and a crown was within his reach, no treachery, 
no crime was too astounding for this precocious youth 
of eighteen. Having achieved his end, and waded 
through blood to become Head of the State of Flor- 
ence, he set himself with steady persistence to trample 
down the liberties of a free people and to rid himself 
of all those who had helped him to rise. 

In his grasping, unresting course of self-advance- 
ment Cosimo attained in time the highest position 
which a Medici had ever reached, and became Grand 
Duke of all Tuscany — " Altezza Serenissima." Under 
his watchful eye courtly historians wrote his story 
and exalted his fame ; told of his great deeds, his 



332 THE ROMANCE OF A MEDICI WARRIOR 

princely pomp, his success as a patron of art ; 
hailed him as a true Medici, another Lorenzo the 
Magnificent ! 

But when we read the tragic details of the Grand 
Duke's domestic life, the strange legends of passion 
and crime — " The reeling Faun, the sensual feast M — 
which cling around every member of his family, a 
student of heredity may remember another ancestor 
— a certain Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan — 
and thus trace back the hidden mystery of criminal 
instincts. 



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INDEX 



Abana, 167, 168, 170 
Abbiate-Grasso, 143, 144, 145 
Abraham, surgeon of Mantua, 164, 

165, 185, 186, 187 
Acciajoli, 239 

Accoramboni, Vittoria, 316, 320 
Adda, River, 110, 131, 183 
Adrian VI., Pope (Adrian of 

Utrecht), 114, 115, 128, 131 ; 

death of, 133 
Adriatic Sea, 16, 149, 172 
Albany, Duke of, 155 
Albizzi, Anton del', 254 

— Francesco, 119 

Alexander VI., Pope (Roderigo 

Borgia), 23, 25 
Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. See 

Este 

— del Guasto. See Guasto 
Algiers, 270 

Allegre, Yves d', 25 
Alps, Mountains, 117, 182 
Alva, Duke of, 259, 297, 298, 299 
Ammanati, 306, 310 
Ammirato, 223, 224, 226 
Ancona, 96, 101, 172, 173, 174 
Annalena Convent, 39, 40 
Apennines, 16, 74, 121, 227 

— Ligurian, 129 

Appiano, Camillo d', 81, 83, 84 

— Giacomo V. d', 211, 273, 295 

— Luisa, 81, 211 
Aragon, Cortes of, 266 
Arbia, River, 306 



Aretino, Pietro, 128, 129, 146, 149, 
150, 154, 155, 173, 180, 187, 
188 

Arezzo, 237, 262, 263, 294 

Ariosto, Lodovico, 146, 147 

Arno, River, 27, 306 

Astagno, Monte, 172 

Attendolo, Muzio (Sforza), 50 

Augsburg, Peace of, 296 

AuUa, 129, 147 

Baccio, 254 
Baglioni, 113, 114 

— Malatesta, 95 

— Ridolfo, 237, 263 
Baldini, Doctor, 312 
Bandello, Matteo, 179 
Bandinelli, 200, 310 
Barbarossa, 234, 264, 266, 270, 

271, 273, 274, 275, 278, 295 
Barbary, 295 
Barcelona, 271 

— Treaty of, 235 

Bayard, 78, 132, 143 ; death of, 

145 
Benedetto (Secretary of Marquis 

of Mantua), 185 
Bentivoglio, Lord of Bologna, 18 
Berceto, 120 
Bergamo, 145 
Bibbiena, Bernardo Dovisi of, 

Cardinal, 76 
Bicocca, near Milan, 117 
Blaise de Montluc. See Montluc 
335 



336 



INDEX 



Boccaccio, 38 

Bologna, 23, 73, 108, 109, 122, 161, 

175, 223, 224, 225, 226, 237, 

253, 272, 300 
Bonnivet (French General), 132, 

133, 143, 144, 145, 158 
Borgia, Cesare, 24 
Borgo-forte, 183, 184 
Boulogne, 277 

— Madeleine de, 226 
Bourbon, Charles Duke of, 136, 

182, 183 
Brandano, Hermit, 284, 287 
Brissago, Castle of, 121 
Bronzino, 308 
Brussels, 296 
Bugia, 270 
Busto Arizio, 150 

Caetani, 99 

Cafaggiolo, 208, 327 

Camaldoli, 305 

Camerino, 113 

Campeggio, Bishop of Bologna, 

Nuncio, 300 
Camporgiano, 147 
Cantelupo, 168, 176 
Capello, Bianca, 319, 320, 327, 328 
Capponi, Niccolo, 216, 220 

— Pietro, 220 
Caraccioli, 299 

Carbone (Gascon Champion), 111 

Carnesecchi, Pietro, 322, 323 

Casalemaggiore, 109 

Cassano d'Adda, 116 

Castello, Villa of, near Florence, 
35, 36, 40, 55, 79-85, 92, 207, 
208, 214, 219, 275, 276, 277, 
326 

Castiglione, 183 

— Baldassare, 112, 116, 149 
Cateau - Cambresis, Treaty of 

(1559), 291, 299 



Cellini, Benvenuto, 307, 309, 310 

Ceri, Renzo da, 132 

Cerisole, Battle of (1544), 278 

Cervellino, 120 

Cervia, 16 

Cesena, 20, 76 

Chabannes, Jean de, 132 

Charles V., Emperor, 108, 114, 
148, 153, 172, 174, 224, 225, 
226, 234, 242, 247, 255, 256, 
264-284, 294, 295, 297, 298, 
300, 302 

Charles IX., of France, 321 

Chiana, Val di, 305, 306 

Chioggia, 167, 209 

Cibo, Cardinal, 85, 243, 244, 245, 
255, 257, 258 

Citta di Castello, 127 

Clement VII., Pope (Giulio dei 
Medici), 97, 109, 115, 126, 
128, 129, 133 (elected Pope), 
134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 
140, 147-153, 161, 166, 174, 
181, 182, 215, 217, 218, 224- 
234, 242 

Cleves, Duke of, 274, 275 

Codronchi, 17 

Cognac, League of, 174 

Colonna, Family, 99, 182, 299 

— Martio, 246 

— Piero, 243 

— Prospero, 108, 109, 111, 131 
Comacchio, 208 

Commenus, Prince of Macedonia, 

181 
Constantinople, 278 
Corsica, 273, 299, 321 
Corsini, 16 
Cortona, 237 

— Bishop of, 151, 215, 272, 294 
Cotrone, 271 

Cremona, 115, 116, 117 
Crepy, Peace of (1544), 278 



INDEX 



337 



Cuppano, Luca Antonio, 129, 201 

Dante, 72 

Diesbach, Jean de, 132 
Doria, Andrea, 266, 270, 274 
Dragut, Corsair, 295 

Edward VI., King of England, 293 

Elba, Island of, 295, 310 

Eleonora de Toledo. See Toledo 

Elizabeth of France, 299 

Elizabeth, Queen of England, 299, 
300 

Elsa, River, 306 

Ema, River, 306 

Empoli, 320 

Enghien, Count of, 271, 277 

Este, Alfonso d', Duke of Ferrara, 
129, 146, 147, 173, 183, 184, 
186, 187, 195, 269, 270 

— Alfonso II. d', Duke of Ferrara, 

297, 311 

— Ercole II., Duke of Ferrara, 

297 

— Ippolito d', Cardinal, 287 
Euganean Hills, 168 

Faenza, 208 

Fano, 149, 172, 173, 174 

Farnese, Ottavio, 255, 257, 293 

— Vittoria, 258, 263 

Fedeli (Venetian Envoy), 321 
Feo, Jacomo, 23 

— Tommaso, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22 
Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, 

(later Emperor), 131, 296, 

315; death of, 317 
Fermo, 146 
Ferrara, 84, 296 

— Duke of. See Este. 
Fiesole, 279 

Filippo dei Rossi. See Rossi 
Fiorenzuola, 74, 108 



Flanders, 271, 294 
Florence, 23, 26, 27-43, 50, 53, 59, 
64, 72, 73, 94, 95, 98, 99, 109, 
114, 125, 126, 128, 151, 171, 
180, 200, 206, 207, 208, 225- 
329 
Foix, Odet de. See Lautrec 
Forli, 16, 17, 20, 24, 116, 126, 223 
Fortunati, Francesco, Priest of 
Cascina, near Pisa, 29, 30, 31, 
32, 36, 41, 43, 46, 55, 56, 57, 
59, 60, 61, 74, 76, 83, 84, 85, 
86, 94, 98, 112, 134, 135, 136, 
137, 151, 153, 166, 167, 208, 
210, 211, 219, 220 
Francois I., King of France, 108, 
109, 126, 131, 151-165, 172, 

174, 198, 207, 229-233, 265, 
266, 271, 277, 278, 282, 293 

— of Lorraine. See Lorraine 
Frundsberg, Georg, Prince of 

Mindelheim, 182, 208, 215 

Gaddi, Niccolo, Cardinal, 244, 245, 

246 
Gano, Andrea, 78 
Garda, Lake of, 183 
Garfagnana, 129, 146 
Garlasco, 144 
Gazzuolo, 82 
Gelders, Duchy of, 275 
Genoa, 108, 129, 131, 236, 271, 294 
Germany, 321 
Ghiarra, d'Adda, 109 
Giberti, Giovan Matteo, Papal 

Datary, 152, 176 
Gonzaga, Federico, Marquis of 

Mantua, 103, 108, 115, 174, 

175, 186, 187, 188 

— Ferrante, 271 

— Lodovico, 187 
Governolo, 185, 190 
Grimaldi, Sire of Monaco, 129 



20 



338 



INDEX 



Guasco, Monte, 172 

Guasto, Alfonso del, 274, 278 

Guicciardini,Francesco (historian) , 

78, 108, 120, 174, 175, 181, 

182, 215, 239 
Guido Rangone. See Eangone 
Guise, Due de, 298 

Hartado, Don Lopez, 257 

Henri II., King of France. 229, 

233, 293 ; death of, 299 
Henri IV., of France, 320 
Henry VIII., King of England, 

131, 277, 282 (death of), 293 
Hungary, 264, 295 
— Louis, King of, 182 

Ignatius Loyola, 299 
Imola, 16, 17, 116, 126, 223 
Innocent YIIL, 21 

Jacopo V., Prince of Piombino, 
81, 273, 295 

James V., of Scotland, 226 

Joanna, Archduchess, daughter 
of Emperor Ferdinand, 315, 
317, 318, 319, 320, 328 

Julius HI., Pope, 294, 296, 298 

Lannoy, Viceroy of Naples, 147, 
148 

Lapo, Arnolfo di, 260 

Lautrec, Odet de Foix, Marechal 
de France, 109, 110, 116, 117 

Leghorn, 26, 52, 258, 259, 271, 
274, 305, 306, 311 

Leo X., Pope, (Giovanni dei 
Medici), 60, 61, 66, 67, 85, 89, 
93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 
101, 102, 103, 108, 109, 112, 
113 (death of), 114, 116, 128 

Lescun, Thomas de, 117, 118 

Leyva, Antonio de, 156, 158 



I Lombardy, 117, 175, 278 

i Loreto, 98 

; Lorraine, Francois de, 165 

! Louis XII., 24 

| Lucca, 269 

Luna, Giovanni de, 258, 266, 272, 
281 

Lunigiano, 129, 170 

Luzasco, Paolo, 115, 116, 175 

Lyons, 308 

MachiaveUi, Xiccolo, 179, 180, 198 
211 

Madrid, 265 

Magenta, 143 

Magliana, La, 102, 112 

Magra, River, 129 

Malatesta, Galeotto, 39 

Malespina, 129, 146, 147, 170 

Malta, 321 

Mantua, 147, 175, 183, 185, 187, 
188-197 

— Marquis of. See Gonzaga 

Manucci, Aldo, 236 

Marguerite of Austria, daughter 
of Maximilian L, 224, 236 

Marguerite, illegitimate daughter 
of Charles V., Emperor, 235, 
236, 243, 255, 258, 272 

Marguerite of Valois, 169 

Maria Maddalena Romola Salviati, 
wife of Giovanni delle Bande 
Xere, 44-48, 54, 61, 62, 65, 66, 
68-92, 94, 95, 107, 114, 119, 
122, 125, 126, 127, 130, 134- 
140, 147, 148, 149, 157, 158, 
162, 163, 164, 166, 168, 174, 
180, 191, 193, 198, 199, 206- 
223, 229-234, 239, 240, 241, 
256, 260, 275, 276; death 
of, 277 

Marignano, Marquis of, Gian 
Giacomo, 288, 289 



INDEX 



339 



Marradi, 208 

Marseilles, 133, 232, 233, 271, 274 

Martelli, Antonio, 325 

— Camilla, second wife of 

Cosimo I., 325, 328 
Mary Tudor, Queen of England, 

295, 299 
Maximilian II., Emperor, 317, 

318, 320 
Medici, Alessandro dei, Duke of 

Florence, 134, 148, 215, 216, 

217, 228, 234-238, 251 

— Alphonsina dei, 89 

— Catherine dei, Queen of France, 

94, 226, 227, 229, 230, 233, 
293, 299 

— Claire dei, wife of Filippo 

Strozzi, 216 

— Cosimo dei (II Vecchio), 23 

— Cosimo I., Grand Duke of 

Tuscany (son of Giovanni 
delleBande Nere,94 (birth of ), 

95, 96, 98, 99, 107, 122, 123, 
126, 130, 136, 137, 138, 171, 
174, 180, 191, 193, 194, 200, 
293-329 

— Ferdinando, son of Cosimo L, 

Cardinal (Grand Duke, later), 

312, 314, 315, 320, 325, 326, 
327 

— Francesco I., Grand Duke of 

Tuscany, son of Cosimo I., 
266, 294, 300, 302, 314, 315, 
317, 318, 319, 325, 326, 327, 
328 

— Garzia dei, son of Cosimo I., 

294,311,312,313,314,315 

— Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 

24-201, 206, 208, 212, 262 

— Giovanni dei, Cardinal, son of 

Cosimo I., 275, 300, 311, 312, 

313, 314, 315 

— Giovanni dei. -See Pope Leo X. 



Medici, Giovanni dei,thePopulani, 
husband of Caterina Sforza 
and father of Giovanni delle 
Bande Nere, 23, 24, 26, 27, 
28 

— Giuliano dei, Due de Nemours, 

61, 64, 217 

— Giulio dei. See Pope Cle- 

ment VII. 

— Ippolito dei, Cardinal, 134, 151, 

215, 216, 217, 227, 235, 238 

— Isabella dei, daughter of 

Cosimo I., 311, 315, 316, 319, 
320, 325 

— Lorenzino dei (see Table I.), 

murderer of Duke Alessandro, 
214, 236, 237, 238, 248; 
assassination of, 278 

— Lorenzo dei, Duke of Urbino, 

nephew of Leo X., 67, 74, 75, 
81, 83, 85, 89, 94, 226 

— Lorenzo dei, the Magnificent, 

23, 57, 214 

— Lorenzo dei, uncle of Giovanni 

delle Bande Nere (see Table 
/.), 25, 27, 28, 32, 35, 36, 37, 
38, 39, 40 

— Lucrezia dei, daughter of 

Cosimo I., 298, 311 

— Maria dei, daughter of 

Cosimo I., 262, 297, 298 

— Maria dei, daughter of Fran- 

cesco I., Grand Duke of 
Tuscany, 320 

— Piero Francesco, grandfather 

of Giovanni, 23, 40 

— Pietro Francesco, cousin of 

Giovanni, 59, 171, 172, 174 

— Pietro dei, 3rd son of Cosimo I. 

(died in infancy, 1547), 294 

— Pietro dei, 6th son of Cosimo I., 

315,326,327 

— Vittoria dei, youngest daughter 



340 



INDEX 



of Cosimo I. and Camilla 

Martelli, 329 
Medici, See Genealogical Tables of 

the Medici, at end of book. 
Mediterranean, 129, 271, 278 
Mendoza, Don Diego Hurtado de, 

282, 283, 284, 287 
Michelangelo, 41, 77, 251, 310, 

311 
Michelozzi, 71 
Milan, 23, 109, 110, 116, 117, 131, 

133, 136, 143, 144, 175, 176, 

180, 272 
Mincio, River, 185 
Mirandola, 263 
Misano, 117 
Modena, 175, 184 
Mohacs, Battle of (1526), 182, 

264, 266 
Monaco, 129 
Montaigne, 38 
Montalcino, 288, 290, 291, 292, 

299 
Montauto, Otto da, 223, 273 
Montefeltro, Giovanni, 114 
Monte, Fabiano, nephew of 

Julius II., 298 
Montemurlo, Victory of Cosimo 

over the Exiles, 254, 255 
Monticchiello, 288 
Montluc, Blaise de, 289, 291, 292 
Mugello, 49, 126, 208, 238, 262, 

294 
Mugnone, 305 

Naples, 59, 155, 234, 235, 270, 288 
Netherlands, 270 
Nice, 274, 275 
Novara, 117 
Noveschi, 281, 282 

Oglio, River, 109 



Ombrone, 306 

Omobuono (physician), 277 

Orange, Prince of, 225, 227 

Orbetello, 291, 315 

Orciano, 77 

Orsi, Cecco, 20, 21, 22 

— Lorenzo, 19, 20, 21, 22 

Orsini Family, 98, 99 

Orsini, Paolo Giordano, 311, 316, 

320 
Osimo, 96 

Padua, 167 

Pallavicini, 146 

Parma, 109, 113, 164, 293 

Pasquino, 113, 128, 149, 150 

Passerini, Silvio, Cardinal Bishop 

of Cortona, 171, 215, 216, 217 
Paul III., Pope (Farnese), 242, 

255, 257, 263, 266, 269, 270, 

272, 279, 293 (death of), 311 
Paul IV., Pope (Cardinal Caraffi), 

296, 298, 299, 322 
Pavia, 112, 144, 155, 172 
Perugia, 113, 263 
Pesaro, 74 

Pescara, Marquis of, 108, 155, 162 
Petraia, La, 276, 327 
Philip II., King of Spain, 291, 294, 

295, 297, 298, 299, 300, 315, 

324 
Piacenza, 113, 161, 162, 164, 183, 

293 
Piccolomini, 281, 290 
Pienza, 288 
Pietrasanta, 271, 273 
Piombino, 201, 273, 280, 295, 297 
Pisa, 31, 55, 129, 258, 259, 271, 

274, 301, 305, 306, 327 
Pistoia, 253, 254, 263 
Pius IV., Pope, 300, 314, 317, 322 
Pius V., Pope (Michele Ghislieri), 

322, 323, 324, 325, 326 



INDEX 



341 



Po, River, 109, 116, 162, 182, 183, 

184, 209 
Poggio-a-Cajano, Villa, 327 
Pomposa, Benedictine Abbey, 209 
Pontremoli, 148 
Port-Ercole, 291, 310, 315 
Porto San-Stefano, 291, 310 
Praesidia, Spanish, 291, 315 
Prato, 253, 254, 256 
Provence, 236 

Raimondi, 107 

Rangone, Guido, 175, 181 

Ratisbon, 266 

Ravenna, 16, 208 

Rebec, 143 

Reggio, 10S, 109, 127, 128, 130, 

131, 150, 271 
Renee of France, Duchess of 

Ferrara, 279 
Riario, Bianca, daughter of Cate- 

rina Sforza, 16, 28, 29, 30, 31, 

32, 36, 37, 39, 104, 119, 120, 

121, 127, 129 

— Caesar, son of Caterina Sforza, 

31 

— Cornelia, daughter of Ottavi- 

ano, 42, 92 

— Galeazzo, 3rd son of Caterina 

Sforza, 43 

— Girolamo, husband of Caterina 

Sforza, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21 

— Ottaviano, eldest son of 

Caterina Sforza, 16, 21, 23, 31, 

42,92 
Ricasoli, Giovanni, Bishop of 

Cortona, 272, 294 
Riccio, Pietro Francesco, 207, 

208, 209 
Ridolfo, Luigi, 259 

— Niccolo, Cardinal, 244, 245, 

246 
Romangna, 16,25,78,101,113,167 



Rome, 16, 24, 25, 26, 57, 58, 9, 
65, 73, 89, 100, 112, 113, 126, 
136, 145, 149, 176, 182, 298, 
300, 323, 324 

Roscoe (historian), 205 

Rosignano, 312 

Rossi, Angela dei, 127 

— Bernardo dei, 120 

— Cardinal dei, 95 

— Filippo dei, 120, 121 

— Pietro dei, 154 

— Troile dei, Count of San 

Secondo, husband of Bianca 

Riario, 28, 39, 104 
Roussillon, 270 
Rovere, Francesco Maria della. 

See Urbino 

— Guidobaldo della, 224 

St. Quentin, Battle of, 298 
Salviati, Alvise, 99 

— Bernardo, 137 

— Elena, Princess of Piombino, 

68, 73, 211 

— Giovanni, Cardinal, 100, 112, 

113, 134, 137, 151, 152, 157, 
162, 163, 164, 244, 245, 246 
■ — Jacopo, father of Maria Sal- 
viati, 43, 44, 46, 55, 56, 57, 
68, 72, 99, 137, 138, 194, 198 

— Lorenzo, 168 

— Lucrezia, mother of Maria, 44, 

54, 61, 62, 63, 68, 137, 138, 
194 

— Maria Maddalena Romola. See 

Maria Salviati 

— Pietro, 61, 65, 68, 100, 137 
San Donnino, 155 

San Marcello, 227 
San Pietro, Baths, 29 
San Secondo, 120, 151 

— Troile dei husband of Bianca 

Riario. See Rossi 



342 



INDEX 



San Stefano. 315 
Sarzana, IT 1 " 1 

ordinal. 20, 21. 22. 23 
Savonarola. 57. 2-31 
Savoy. Bona of. 15 

— Louise jtjnoihez :: Fi-anr-jisL. 

176. 224 

— Philiberte of, wife of Ginliano 

dei Medici. 64 
Schinner, Matthias. Cardinal of 

Sion. 
Sermonetta. '.7 
S : : iza. Caterina. Countess of Forli, 

15-25. 26-37. 35-45, 92. 199, 

203 

— Francesco, Duke of Milan, 

126. 131. 136. 146. 148, 150, 
178 

— Galeazzo Maria, 15 

— Lodovico, Duke of Milan, IS 
Sicilv. : ~ 

Siena. S9. 243.245.273.251-292. 

300, 301. 3-5 
Sieve, River. 53 
Sixtus IT.. Pope. 15, 16 
Soderini, 54 

— Maria, 236 

Solvnian II.. Sultan, 264, 265, 

' 266. 271. 295 
Sorbolung?. 7 7 
Spanocchi, Girolamo, 243, 244, 

245. 246 
Strozzi, Claire dei Medici, wife 
of Filippo. See Medici 

— Filippo, 237. 244, 252. 253. 

254, 255 

— Leonardo, notary, 35, 36 

— Piero, son of Filippo, 254. 

27-. 288, 280, 

BO, Francesco, secretary and 
later, bailin to Giovanni delle 
Bande Xere, So, 100, 100, 
124, 145 



Suffolk, Duke of, 165 
Switzerland. 321 
Szigeth in Hungary. 321 

Talamone. 291. 315 

Tantucci, Girolamo, of Siena. 245. 

251 
Taro. River. 129 
Tiber, River. 16. 26. 12S 
Ticino, River, 133 
Toledo, Eleonora de. 259. 260, 

262. 271. 275. 300, 301, 

307. 310. 311.312. 313 (death 

of), 314. 316 

— Eleonora, a niece of Eleonora 

de Toledo, 327. 32S 

— Don Garzia de, 255 

— Don Pietro de. Viceroy of 

Xaples. 259. 263. 270, 294 ; 

death of. 297 
Topaia, La, Villa above Castello, 

20S 
Toro, River. 120 

IToso. servant of Giovanni, 59. 94, 
95 

Toulon, 275 

Trebbio, Castello di. 35. 49-55. 92, 
99, 107. 122. 126. 145, 149, 
151, 167. 171. ISO. 238 

Trent, Council of, 27S, 2S2, 293, 
317 

Treviso. 120 

Trezzo on the Adda. 131 

Tribolo, 310, 326 

Tristan, Corsican captain. 66 

Trivulzio. Gian Giacomo, 150 

Turk?. 27 S. 295 
-any, 26, 129 

L'rrredici, Lodovico, Tyrant of 

Fermo,9S, 131 
L'rbino, 67 



INDEX 



343 



Urbino, Duke of, Francesco Maria 
della Rovere, 67, 73, 113, 115, 
144, 176, 183, 184, 185, 186, 
189, 191, 197, 206, 212, 215 

Vaini, Antonio, steward of Gio- 
vanni, 50, 53, 62, 63 
Valdes, 322 

Valori, Filippo, 253, 254 
Vaprio, 110 

Varano Sigismondo, 113 
Varchi (historian), 277 
Vasari, 261, 318 
Vasto, Marquess del, 271 
Vega, Garcilossa della, 298 



Venice, 167, 168, 207, 208, 209, 

210, 211, 215, 237, 278, 297, 

319 
Verocckio, 261 
Visconti, Bianca, 15 
Vitelli, Alessandro (Captain of the 

Guard), 237, 242, 243, 253, 

254, 258 
— Vitelk), 127 
Viterbo, 25, 31, 92, 102 
Volano, 209 

Yuste, Monastery of Estramadura, 
296 

Zutphen, County of, 275 



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